Infinite Accel Synchro
by Monobrows78
Summary: Set shortly after Ark Cradle. Yusei is guilt ridden about his victory over Bruno. His friends are worried but is there anything at all they can do? First time so don't judge me too harshly. There will be JackXCarly somewhere down the line. Rating may go up if the story spins that way. All rights go to Kazuki Takahashi. Any OC's belong to me. Drop me a line if you want anything.
1. Dimmed Spark

Dark storm clouds rolled across the sky, broiling towards the edge of New Domino City. They brought with them a torrential rain that drenched anything and anyone below them regardless of status or wealth. As it hit the first of the buildings a raven haired man far below started to run. Yusei Fudo sighed in irritation. When he had set out the forecast was for hot sunny skies and no chance of rain. As a result he had not thought to bring an umbrella. He charged along the pavement, barely keeping ahead of the pouring rain behind him. As he reached a corner his toolkit hit the wall and sprang open. Yuesi sighed once more and glanced behind him at the approaching front. He had been doing odd jobs around the city in order to provide an income and had been working on the other side of the city on a rich business man who swore his top of the line Duel Runner was broken. Yusei had spent a good hour teaching the man to put in some fuel. As he took note of his surroundings he realised that the he was only a dozen blocks from the dwelling he shared with Jack and Crow. He turned around and hunched his shoulder as he started picking up his tools. He was crouched over for good five minutes as he made sure that each tool was present. He had just finished putting them away when he realised that he was missing one of his spanners. He started looking around the area and even checked the gutters. He was just searching the gutters when he felt a slight tug and a slim hand entered his view holding the missing spanner. "Is this what you were looking for?" Yusei turned around to see Akiza holding out his missing tool, a slight smile playing around her lips holding an umbrella above her head.

"Yeah, thanks." He muttered dropping it back in his toolbox. "How did you know?" Akiza let loose a small giggle at his question.

"It's the only tool in sight and you never put anything in your pockets." Yusei blushed slightly as he realised it must have lodged in his jacket when it flew out of the box. He fastened his toolbox again and started walking back to Poppo Time. Akiza hurried after him and shielded him from the rain. Yusei looked around as the rain suddenly stopped.

"Thank you." Yusei murmured. Akiza sighed. Ever since the Ark Cradle had gone and he had lost Bruno he had been... different. It was as if that spark that made him _him_ had been smothered. It saddened her so much to see him suffer like this. She hoped that he would find his way back to them.


	2. Hidden Feelings

_Just a quick "Hello" to Netiri Vi Britannia, Magdalene Thorne and the "You say fudo" guest. Thanks for having a quick look at the first chapter of many! Sorry for any speeling mistakes (get it?) but that chapter was written in Wordpad which doesn't have spellcheck ): I got Kingsoft just now so from here out the only mistakes should be Yu-Gi-Oh names (If this happens I'll kill myself). I was planning on submitting these weekly or to the nearest when I finish them, but you lot made me so happy that I'm putting this one up early. Currently got about four in the works and a strong story to work with. If you want any guest appearances PM me and I'll see who I can slot warned that I am uploading these from College, so school breaks may result in some missed uploads. Never fret for I shall do my best to keep these coming. Also contemplating another story that will blend the first three generations together (I only watched Ep1 of Zexal and didn't like it) but not as in "they all happened at the same time" blend. Tell me if you're intrested and I'll upload them in alternate weeks. Tell me if anything seems a bit off and I'll do my best to fix it. Enjoy! Oh, and I'll try to put up chapter titles but I stuggle with that sometimes so bear with me if some are numbered instead._

Back at Poppo Time a full blown war was erupting between Jack and Crow over whose Duel Runner was the best. Crow claimed that his had superior adaptability whilst Jack insisted that the raw power of his single wheel model was what made it the ultimate form of transport. Crow had passed some comment about Jack's sense of perfect and the time Akiza and Yusei had walked in Jack had Crow in a headlock and Crow had a good hold on Jack's hair. Yusei just walked straight past them and headed upstairs, depositing his toolbox on the side as he did. "Yusei aren't you going to deal with these two?" Akiza asked gesturing towards the fighting pair. Yusei kept walking as if he hadn't heard. Akiza reached over and grasped an ear of both Jack and Crow. The painful duo fell to the floor and started begging to be released. "UNHAND ME!" Jack roared, "THIS IS ENTIRELY CROW'S FAULT!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HIT ME! I ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE!" Crow yelled at the blond duelist. Both howled louder as Akiza twisted a bit more.

"Are you ready to listen yet?" Akiza asked them both in a deceptively calm voice, "Or are you going to continue howling like babies?" Jack and Crow exchanged a look. It read something like "Do we keep our pride or should we give in to a crazy teenage female with inexplicable powers?" Both of them knew that there was only logical way to live with themselves. "WE SURRENDER!" Akiza gave a triumphant grin and let go, watching as two of the best duelists she knew collapse on the floor and whimper in pain. Jack and Crow snapped back to reality as they heard a shutter click. All three looked over to the door just in time to see Carly Carmine trip straight down the ramp and land upon Jack's back just as he sat up. Both fell back to the floor in a cloud of dust. "Say, Carly?" The former Champion began politely, "Would it be too much to ask FOR YOU TO GET OFF MY BACK FOR JUST ONE SECOND?!" Carly blushed and leapt to her feet. She reached back down to offer Jack a hand up. He stared at it for a moment before sighing and holding onto it as she pulled him up. Only Akiza noticed that Jack had pushed himself with his other hand. In happier times she would have smiled but with Yusei like he was it was all she could do to not burst into tears. Crow had managed to dust himself off and was currently avenging himself upon Jack by stealing his ramen. It was a great plan had Crow not underestimated how much ramen his life-long friend possessed. As he was making his way out the door one of the cups full off the pile in his arms and he tripped over it. After his slight tumble down the ramp he looked up to see an upside-down view of an angry face that resembled his friend. It was at that point that he decided discretion was the better part of valour and promptly ran for the door. Jack roared with anger and bolted after him shouting insults. Akiza sighed and threw one of the tools that cluttered around at the door. It slammed shut and the two would-be-escapees both collapsed against it. Carly gave a terrified look before Akiza calmly murmured in her ear "It's alright. Those two have heads thicker than concrete blocks. I could drop them of The Bridge and nothing bad would happen to them." Carly was slightly reassured but couldn't help but feel worry about the two unconscious men by the door. Akiza went and sat down on the sofa below the door and stared off into the distance. Carly frowned for a minute before sitting next to her. "Akiza, since when where you so good at throwing things?" She asked in curiosity. Akiza smiled wanly at her reporting friend. "Back when I was the Black Rose it was always necessary to know where the debris was going. If it was going to hit me I liked to have some warning." She bitterly reflected upon the days where she had lived in constant fear and anger of the outside world. "I guess it's just an extension of that skill." Carly realised that Akiza didn't feel much like talking and cut straight to the issue.

"You're broken up over Yusei aren't you?" She said with a worried glance. Akiza looked up in shock. She hadn't told anyone how she felt. "How did you…" Carly smiled gently at her.

"Women's intuition. Never fails. Now tell me, what's worrying you?" At this point Akiza glanced over at the two drooling guys near the door. Guessing that they'd be out for a while she finally released the seal she had kept on her emotions and tears streamed from her eyes. She started bawling as Carly reassuringly rubbed her back. In-between sobs Carly managed to make out that Akiza blamed herself for Yusei slipping away from them and that if she'd tried just a bit harder then maybe he wouldn't be like he was. In the midst of all this Crow awoke. During his years in the Satellite he had learnt that waking up quietly let you learn interesting information. He was shocked by what he heard. Coming from Akiza. Leaning over he put one hand over Jacks mouth and gently shock him awake. Jack's instinctive reaction was to struggle and yell but he noticed Crow's expression and stayed silent. He had only seen that expression on the day Kalin had attacked Sector Security. He stayed down and listened to the commotion coming from the couch. He and Crow waited until all the tears were gone before they "woke-up". Both feigned that they didn't remember what had happened and immediately set to fighting to make Akiza forget the pain she felt for a little while more. All the while both concentrated on how to get their friends back. Where Yusei lay up in his room a tear fell as he remembered how he lost his friend one more time.


	3. Requesting Help

_You all face a terrible, terrible choice. This is based entirely upon who sends me the most money. Or public vote. Either's good. But money's better. I've realised that most chapters have been about a page of A4 in length and now request your opinion. The choices are; Longer chapters with fewer uploads, the same length and uploads or I go away and write the entire story and publish it all at once. And the regular state of chapter uploads is I finish the next two before uploading one, but so far it's been done at least one a week. (Well that was the plan. It's still my first week and this is chapter 3!) And I'm usually only online Tuesday to Thursday._

The next day Jack and Crow paid a visit to the one person who knew Yuesi the best. Martha. The woman who had raised the three Signers was the wisest person that they knew and the one hope that they had always relied upon when all else failed them. The two had decided to go to her for her unwavering insight that she possessed. After exchanging the normal pleasantries (or in Jack's case, grumpy looks) with Blister and the children, they were offered tea by Martha and sat at the table which served as the centre for all that went on at the orphanage.

"So my boys, what happened recently in that big old city of yours?" She smiled pleasantly at them, "How is your lovely friend Carly, Jack? Had the nerve to ask her out yet?" Jack blushed slightly at her words but thankfully Crow managed to divert her attention.

"Martha, as lovely as it is to see you again, we came here for your help. Remember how Yuesi saved the city a few months ago? In the processes he had to defeat his friend Bruno. It turned out that he was actually with Zone but had forgotten all about it. Anyway, in order to teach Yusei what he needed he had to duel him with the loser getting trapped. Yusei tried to save him but Bruno knew only one of them could escape and he forced Yusei out. Ever since then Yusei has been… Broken. It's like he's given up on everything. He goes through the motions but it's like he's empty." At this point Jack spoke up.

"Martha, you remember how Yusei was after Kalin was taken? It's worse than that. It's worse than when I lost Carly. It's even worse than when Crow thought he had lost his kids for good. It's like how I felt sometimes when I thought of all the people I had to betray to get on top. Like how I still feel. But this is _Yusei_." Here he slammed a hand down on the table. "He's always managed to see the best in any situation but currently he can't see the light." By the end of Jack's speech Crow was in shock over how his friend felt. He knew that Jack might have felt bad but not this bad. He turned to Martha with a quiet plea in his eyes. Martha let loose a sigh and started to speak again.

"Boys, boys. I'm getting too old for this. I used to be able to fix all your problems but I'm afraid that your problems are your problems and aren't for me to meddle in. Didn't you ever wonder why I've never been to visit you in the city? It's because you're grown men and shouldn't need my help. This is up to you to decide how to fix. If you can't then I obviously haven't raised you as well as I'd hoped." Crow and Jack exchanged a shocked look. This was the last thing they had expected to hear when they had set out that morning. But it was the one thing she could have said that could have given them hope. Had they been given the answer they would have would have simply done the motions with doubt that they could do it. But being told they could was all that they needed to know to go on. Crow decided to give it one last push though. He never did learn how to give up.

"Martha, as brilliant as it is knowing that you have faith in us, we really need your help. Akiza's been going frantic and"

"_I beg your pardon." _Martha's voice had dropped its usually warm tone and had changed to an icy chill that scared both of the muscled men before her. Crow swallowed in fright and bravely volunteered Jack to reply. "Um, you see Martha, me and Crow had been having a slight... disagreement the other day and we both somehow got knocked out. When we came to it Akiza was crying and blaming herself for all that Yusei had been going through. We"

"_I. Beg. Your. Pardon." _Martha emphasised the words, still in her chilly voice. "Akiza is blaming _herself _over something _Yusei _is doing to _himself._" The pair before her were now clinging to each other in fright. They couldn't recall the last time that they had seen Martha this angry. The reason being that this was a first for her and them. She pushed her chair back and stood up from the table. She grabbed the two duelists and hauled them out the room. "BLISTER! GET THE VAN!" All the children looked up from their playing on the lawn outside. None of them had ever seen the woman this angry. The live-in mechanic wisely decided not to question her will but instead raced to find the van that was the orphanages transport. Jack managed to convince Martha that he and Crow needed to take their Runners. Neither man wanted to be in a position where she could reach them right now.


	4. Fight For The Dishes

_**Hello once again! This chapter is a little bit longer than the rest but hopefully they will all continue to be at least as big if not bigger! I just want to setup a quick competition now. Send a set of cards. Limit is 20 and I'll accept two of your own making if I have to. Operating on a first-come, first-serve basis try to make the cards fit together. They'll be used around chapter 10-11.**_

Since Martha's outburst at the orphanage Jack and Crow had thought about fleeing from the path the van was taking but realised that such action would be foolhardy. After crossing the bridge Martha surprised her entourage by bypassing Poppo Time and going straight to Akiza's house. They realised that it would probably a good idea to stand outside when Martha went in. Unfortunately their foster mother had other ideas.

"Boys! Come with me." Blister had kindly helped her out of the van and she was now striding towards the front door of Senator Izinski's house. Judging by the way she was pounding on the door she wasn't in the mood for simple things such as ringing the doorbell. After only a few seconds a rather flustered Akiza opened up the door and peered out at the group.

"Akiza, we need to discuss a few things." Martha announced striding past her. Akiza threw a questioning look to her friends outside but Jack gave his customary glare and Crow could only shrug. Walking into the sitting room Martha indicated that the three teens take the sofa as she sat in an armchair.

"Akiza, these two buffoons came to see me and told me that not only is my dear Yusei depressed but that you blame yourself for it." At this point Akiza threw a glare at the two men beside her that they both shrank back into the couch. "Why they didn't come sooner is a mystery that I can't fathom, but the important thing right now is not that we save Yusei but we get _you _to forgive _yourself_ for something that you have absolutely no control over."

When Martha finished she gave Akiza a long steady look. For a few seconds Akiza just sat there speechless. Then a single tear brimmed in her eye before falling over the edge. That single drop of salt water turned into a torrent, cascading from her eyes. With a howl she flung herself at the kind woman who had given so much to so many others and had grown to see so more in a glance than others could see in years. Martha slowly rubbed the back of the crying girl on her lap. Crow and Jack looked around the room as they felt more and more awkward. Finally Akiza fell silent with quiet sobs racking her body. Jack nudged Crow quietly and jerked a thumb towards the door. Crow gave a single glance towards the two women before giving a small nod. As quietly as possible the two of them edged out the room.

Once the door clicked shut behind them Martha gave Akiza a slight shake and told her to sit up. Akiza barely managed to stand upright before collapsing back onto the sofa. She gave a wan smile before another set of teas fell from her eyes. Martha pulled a handkerchief from one of her pockets and handed it to Akiza. "I look horrible, don't I?" Martha smiled gently at her.

"Moderately horrible, yes." Akiza gave a shaky laugh. "Now then, what do you suggest we do about Yusei?" At the mention of his name Akiza's eyes started watering again.

"Oh come now dear. Nothing was ever solved with watery eyes." Akiza nodded, dried her eyes and set to thinking. After a few minutes she gave a small smile, her first in a while.

"Actually Martha, I do have one idea."

_**Brilliant. Another pagebreak. Who keeps putting these things here?!**_

Outside Jack and Crow discussed the events currently going on inside the house. "Personally I think it's ridiculous." Jack huffed, "Why is it that as soon as there is even the slightest problem women feel the need to burst into tears?" Crow smacked the tall man around the back of his head.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe the rest of us aren't as emotionally dead as you? Although not that I mention it you're not the soulless guy you pretend to be are you?" Crow smirked. That is, he smirked until he friend whirled around and lifted him up by the front of his jumper.

"IF YOU SO MUCH AS THINK ABOUT TELLING ANYONE WHAT I SAID IN THERE I WILL PERSONALLY GO THROUGH YOUR DECK AND TEAR EACH AND EVERY CARD IN HALF BEFORE TAKING YOUR RUNNER APART PIECE BY PIECE UNTIL IT'S A PILE OF BOLTS! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!" By this point Crow's face was a lovely shade of crimson as Jack's tight grip had cut off his air supply. The instant Jack dropped him he remained on the floor breathing deeply. Jack snorted and started walking back to his Runner but was knocked sprawling by Crow jumping on his back. "YOU EVEN THINK CONSIDER TOUCHING MY CARDS AND RUNNER AND I WILL PERSONALY GIVE CARLY A **VERY **INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEW INTO YOUR LIFE AND SPILL EVERY ONE OF YOUR SECRETS INCLUDING THE TEDDY BEAR YOU USED TO HAVE!" Jack rolled over and crushed Crow beneath him as Crow began raining blow down upon Jack's upper body.

Over from his place by the van Blister calmly watched on as the two traded blows and insults. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, waiting for the other end to be picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Bashford, it's Blister. We've got another fight on our hands here, who's your money on?" For a few seconds there was silence on the line as the old man weighed his chances.

"A turn at the dishes is on Crow. I know how stubborn he can be." Blister smiled, fondly recalling how the gang had convinced Bashford to come and live with Martha and the wealth of children.

"Okay then you've got yourself a deal. HEY JACK! BASHFORD THINKS CROW WILL WIN!" Hearing this the former King went berserk, fully lifting the orange haired mess on his back as he stood up and then crushing him against the floor.

"BLISTER YOU CHEAT!" echoed faintly up from the phone. Blister let loose a few chuckles. He stopped as soon as Crow slipped out from under Jack just as he fell. Judging from the way Jack's face looked like it might never move from the pain again he grudgingly brought it back up to his face.

"A turn at the dishes" he said sourly. Bashford laughed at him down the line. The phone closed with a snap. Blister may not always play fairly but he did accept defeat. But he never went down easy. Making sure Jack was distracted he slotted a drive into Jack's Runner before launching a small program. An evil grin split his face as he waited for the man to realise what he had done.

_**Hello there. Just here to say that I'm currently having some writers block on Chapter 9 so I'm going to stagger the uploads to one a week until I get back on track. Don't worry, I've got the basic idea still in the motion but don't want to try and force anything out because it always seems to end badly.**_


	5. Pancakes and Plans

Yusei walked around the garage and smiled slightly as looked at the computers and remembered the time he and Bruno had had stayed up for 3 days straight compiling the engine code for the WRGP. The same one that Lazar had stolen and given to Primo, unaware of what he had planned for it. His smile faded as he went over what had happened yet again.

_"Yusei, YOU are my hope. Surpass the light of Accel Synchro. Su__r__pass that light and cut open the path the the future!" Bruno pulled back slightly, focused only on one thing. He threw off his helmet, fully leaving behind Antiomy. He pushed his Runner far beyond it's safety barriers and launched himself at his friends vehicle."GO, YUSEI!" The motion made his face looked different, streamlined almost. He forced Yusei into Accel Speed, moving him from the Here and Now to elsewhere, a place where Time and physical limitations were petty things to be ignored. He let off a small smile as he watched his friend disappear._

Yusei felt the tears stream down his face as he came back to his body. He took a deep, shuddering breath, as he tried to calm himself down. Unable to do so he simply collapsed to the floor and let his emotions crash over him again.

When he regained some semblance of reason again he pushed himself into a sitting position. Looking around he noticed that he had somehow cleared a large area around himself. A wet patch of the floor gave mute evidence to the strength of his tears. He felt a single one slip out before he wiped his eyes. Stumbling to his feet he looked over at his Runner and a crazy idea revealed itself to him. An insane hope grew in his chest and he immediately set to find a piece of paper, something to leave his friends a last message on.

_**WARNING! WARNING! YOU ARE EXPERIENCEING A PAG**__**E **__**BREAK AND MINOR FEAR! BOTH SHOULD PASS SOON!**_

_**NOT YET IT APPEARS..**_

Over at Akiza's house she was just finishing explaining her idea. Crow was skeptical but surprisingly Jack backed her idea fully. If anything she had expected the opposite but she wasn't picky. With herself, Martha and Jack supporting the idea they were clearly in the majority. "Blister, do you think you can make it work?" She glanced at the rugged mechanic. Blister scoffed.

"It's nice to know you have so little faith in my skills Akiza. You are aware that I once helped Yusei out by hacking into one of the most secure networks on the planet and planting a false history aren't you? Not to mention the passwords I stole said network." Akiza blinked at him. She hadn't.

"I'll take that as a yes then. I think that covers most of it. Give me a minute to get changed and we'll head on over to your place together together." She finished, looking over at her fellow Turbo Duelists. When they both nodded she head out the room to get her riding suit on.

Martha smiled at the door before turning her gaze back towards the two left with her. Both immediately became worried. Even more so when she beckoned them closer. Finally when they were both within arm's reach she stood up. Crow let loose as small yell before ducking behind the taller man. The only problem with this maneuver was that Jack was trying to do the same. "Boys." Martha said in a warning tone. Both stood up and waited for the end. Quivering inside they watched the woman who had raised them step closer. Then she surprised them by gathering them each in one arm in a rib-crushing hug. She laughed at their expressions. "Oh boys, how I've missed you."

"So you're not mad at us?" Jack managed to wheeze out.

"Yeah," Crow was slightly stockier and hence more coherent, "We're not going to have to arrange a funeral for ourselves?"

At this Martha knocked their heads together.

_**PAGEBREAKPAGEBREAKPAGEBREAKP AGEBREAK**_

_**PAGEBREAK**_

Akiza came down in her red suit to find two semi-comatose men on her floor. She looked over at the quietly resting Martha, who was seated in the armchair with closed eyes, and back at the bodies. Finally she cleared her throat. Martha opened her eyes and stood up. "Ready to leave dear?" Akiza mutely nodded, still glancing at her friends. Martha followed her gaze and chuckled.

"Don't worry about those two. There's a secret to getting my boys to wakeup." She cupped her hands around her mouth. Akiza covered her ears. "BOYS! I'VE DONE MY SPECIAL CHOCOLATE PANCAKES!" Akiza blinked at the wrong moment and when she opened her eyes she saw the two standing up and looking around frantically. Martha laughed, long and loud and Akiza felt that she just had to join in. Jack and Crow's expressions soured as they realised they had been tricked. Both stalked straight out the door leaving two breathless women behind him.

_**What did Blister do to Jack's Runner? What is Yusei planning? What do Martha's Special Chocolate Pancakes taste like? Does anyone know the recipe? How many questions have I asked now? Do you think I should stop? Seriously though. In the next chapter we will find out what Yusei is planning and Akiza's **__**idea **__**will be set in motion in about two chapters. And yes, I know I'm horrible. **_


	6. Race Home

Akiza, Jack and Crow were having a race to see who could get to Poppo Time first. Jack had taken the usual route down the highway, convinced that his speed would easily win it. Crow had split away down some sneaky back routes relying on his knowledge of the city layout, and Akiza had taken a meandering route that forced her to go slower but was much shorter than the routes the others had taken. They had each set a counter on their screens showing their individual distances from garage and currently Akiza was closest. In his haste Crow had taken a wrong turn and Jack had almost hit a lorry. Akiza was so exhilarated that she almost didn't notice the road ahead was closed. She jerked to a halt and speed off back the way she had come, counting on a side route. Crow noticed her numbers begin ticking back up and started making fun of her.

"Hey, Akiza, you do know that the race is _first _one there and not the _last_ right?" Jack smirked at his friends bickering as he decided to take a leaf from Crow's book and took a shortcut. Straight over the side of the motorway.

"Now this is how a true King does things!" He yelled powering off down a street. Crow and Akiza gasped as his distance decreased dramatically. Crow gritted his teeth and pushed his throttle open more and Akiza gave up on finding another street and decided on a new path.

Crow and Jack pulled into the street leading to Poppo time in a dead tie, both trying to outdo the other by even the smallest bit. They grew close enough that Crow thought it funny to reach across and give Jack a little push. With a startled yell the blonde fell back slightly but as he went he nudged Crow's Runner forcing him to slow down as well. They were about a hundred meters away, still in a tie, when they heard an approaching engine and a loud whoop of excitement before Akiza speed off a roof fifty meters in front of them and pulled into the square in first place. Both Jack and Crow were amazed. Neither had lost in a race before and now both had lost at the same time! Their pride was further wounded as they realised that not only had they lost, but they had lost to a _girl_! If word of this ever got out then their reputations would never recover.

Akiza smirked at the antipoaching duo and was just deciding how to taunt them just as a noise started behind her. Her two friends pulled up beside her as they also heard the noise. It was one very familiar to all of them but not one that they had heard in a long time. It was not one they had expected to hear for a long time to come.

What they were hearing was the sound of an engine.

The sound of Yusei's engine.

_**Guess what? I'm a horrible person and the rest of this chapter is part of a recipe book... No, of course it's not. But I am a horrible person for making you think that it is. I'm having a little page-breakdown just now. Get it? Page break? Breakdown? Page-breakdown? No? Shame.**_

The trio were all looking towards Poppo Time in shock and were still doing so as a red shape blurred past them. They uniformly turned around and just managed to get a glimpse of the back of Yusei's runner as it sped off down the street. Akiza immediately put her helmet back on but Jack reached over and removed her keys.

"What the hell are you doing?" She shouted in his face. Jack just ran towards Poppo Time. Crow at least had the decency to yell over his shoulder as he went.

"YUSEI SPENDS ALL HIS TIME FIXING UP HIS RUNNER. NONE OF US HAVE A CHANCE AT CATCHING UP TO HIM." By this time he was already halfway across the square. Akiza spent one more glance after the departing Yusei before she turned and sprinted towards the garage, far outpacing Crow and arriving just after Jack. Both men took a seat at a computer and anxiously waited for them to power up. Thankfully, before the WRGP, Yusei had installed a system which immediately dedicated ninety percent of the CPU towards the task at hand so that other programs could load in the background. As this was the case they were soon roaming the system searcing for the right folder. Jack found the one he needed first and pulled it up, with Crow finding his just moments after. Akiza paced behind the two wondering what was happening. Crow noticed how agitated she was and spared a moment to answer the question that she so obviously wanted to ask.

"You see Akiza, we don't know what Yusei's feeling like right now. It could be that he suddenly realised that it's not his fault but considering the state he was in this last night that's unlikely. What me and Jack are going to do is see if he's actually capable of riding his Runner. If he's not Jack will shut him out." He turned back to his computer and started to type at a furious rate.

"But if Jack's going to lock him out then why are you on a computer Crow?" Judging by how his shoulders stiffened it wasn't a question he was prepared to answer. Instead it was Jack who answered. And when he did it gave Akiza chills.

"Crow's here to help me in if Yusei locks us out." As the words left his mouth a window popped up on the screen filled by Yusei's face. He looked almost happy. It scared Akiza to admit it but there was something _wrong _about how he looked happy. Almost like he was more angry than happy.

"Yusei, where are you going?" Jack's voice cut through Akiza's shock. She turned her gaze back to the screen.

"I'm going to do the right thing Jack. Just like you did when you helped us take down then Dark Signers." At his words Jack frowned. He pulled up another window with what seemed to be the schematics of Yusei's Runner. But the only difference to normal schematics was that it was showing what Yusei's Runner was doing right then. The three friends froze as they saw the readout.

"Yusei, have you gone mad! At those speeds the slightest jolt and you'll crash! What the devil do you think you're playing at!" Jack roared into the microphone. Crow frantically jumped back onto his computer and Jack resumed typing. Both froze yet again as Yusei said one word. Just one.

"Accel." He sounded like it was a normal thing to him. Something that didn't need a reason, much the same as breathing. Crow was instantly furious.

"AND WHAT GOOD IS THAT GOING TO DO?! WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LFE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN IN A DUEL RIGHT NOW!"

"I know Crow, but when an Accel Synchro is performed you slip out of Time for just a few seconds. Space bends around you and anything is possible. I'm going to go and save Bruno."

"YOU CAN'T YUSEI! DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT PARADOX DID?! HE TRIED TO DO THIS AND ALMOST DESTROYED THE CITY!" Crow yelled into the microphone.

"Crow's right Yusei. This isn't the answer. All you're doing is putting innocent lives at risk." Jack spared a second to glance at the screen and was shocked to see his life-long friend was still smiling.

"You're wrong guys. Paradox tried to destroy Duel Monsters, the very core of our civilization. He was going to change the entire future. I'm bringing back one person. This is exactly what Momentum Express did and there was never any side effects."

For a single moment nothing moved. Then Jack leaned forward.

"And what if you're wrong? What then Yusei? Would you doom our world to destruction?"

Yusei looked away from the camera for a second.

"No Jack. But this will work. Nothing is going to stop me saving him."

Jack leaned back again and sighed. In a curiously gentle tone he said "I'm sorry then Yusei. More than you can know, but this is for your own good." And with those words he entered a single line of code and executed it.

"And what was that supposed to do Jack?" Jack was shocked.

"Crow!" he barked. "Get me back in!" he had regained his usual angry tone. Both of them tapped side by side at their keyboards and worked to find a way to stop their friend. Akiza took a step closer towards the microphone.

"Yusei," She had to clear her throat it was so dry, "Yusei, can you hear me?"

"Akiza" And that smile spread back across his face.

"Yusei stop this, please. Think about what could happen." She remembered the entire city clustered on the outskirts of New Domino City, watching as their home dissolved before them. A tear brimmed in her eye.

"I have Akiza. I've thought about it time and again. This is the only way to save Bruno." He opened his throttle a little wider, preparing to break the threshold.

"But would he want to be saved if it risked the entire city?!" She cried out in desperation, tears now running freely down her cheeks. Yusei released the throttle, just enough to slow down..

"Next time we see him we'll ask him." And with that he opened his throttle to it's fullest extent.

_**To quote Mr James May, "Cock". Yusei is going to try time travel by Accel. What if he destroys the city? What if he does bring back Bruno? How would that change the future? There's only one way to find out. Pay me a million pounds. Or review. I'd prefer the money. But that's just me. I'm also having some trouble with Chapter 10 so if I only upload one chapter next week I'm dripping them to sustain you while I write.**_


	7. Fixing Feelings

Akiza couldn't believe it. He knew what could happen but was ignoring the risks, putting millions of lives in danger, and ignoring his friends. She slid to the floor and curled up in a ball, letting the tears stream down her face yet again. She simply didn't see the point anymore.

"GOT IT!" Crow yelled, "DO IT JACK!" Jack immediately re-input the code and far away, across the city, Yusei felt his engine die.

"NO!" He screamed pushing the controls, trying vainly to overwrite whatever his friends had done. He fell forward onto the console, tears falling down his face. He slowly ground to a halt and remained motionless. He simply couldn't grasp it. He had come so _close_!

As soon as Akiza heard Yuesi's anguished cry she had looked up to see the readout showing no movement. Dragging her arm over her eyes she reached over and, much like he had earlier, stole Jack's keys. By the time he had turned around and started yelling she had already reached the door and was running for his Runner. She had stolen his Runner for as good as hers was, his was faster. What she needed just then was speed. And with it she tore across the distance separating her and Yusei, racing towards his immobile Duel Runner.

_**Yes I know it's crummy, but bear with me, it does get better. In a chapter or two. But certainly after this pagebreak.**_

"Why is it that every time some else has a problem they feel the need to take MY Duel Runner?! I mean, it's not a toy!" Jack was still livid at Akiza for taking off on his machine. It didn't help that Crow's wasn't designed for a single person and what _really_ didn't help was that if he wanted to come he had to take Akiza's bright red one. It was taking far too long for them to make any distance. On the positive side, he and Crow were back to their old selves again. So they were, of course, bickering.

"Look at it this way Jack," his orange haired companion called across, "At least it matches your complexion." With this Crow let off a long and loud laugh. And it was true. Jack's face was bright pink from the shame at getting caught on such a dreadful machine.

By this time Yusei had at least mustered the strength to collapse onto the floor next to his runner. He had come to a stop on the very edge of the city, next to a forest. He heard an approaching engine and knew from the pitch that it was the Phoenixian Whirlwind. He only bothered to look up when he heard the distinctive click of Akiza's shoes. She had left her helmet back at the garage so her hair was pointed backwards ever so slightly. Her eyes were also streaming, although he doubted it was because of the wind because she had red rings around her eyes. He looked back down at the floor beneath his feet as he felt overwhelmed with guilt. He had failed his friends. He had failed Bruno by not managing to save him from the past, he had failed Jack and Crow by refusing their advice, but most of all he had failed Akiza. She had begged, _begged_, him not to try it but he had ignored her and tried to anyway. He felt the surface behind him shift as she sat down next to him.

"Hey." She said, her voice slightly hoarse from crying.

"Hey." he replied. He felt her slip one arm over and across his shoulders and then pulled them closer together. "Why did you stop me? It would have worked. I could have done it." Akiza pulled back slightly and looked in his eyes.

"Really? You know for sure? Have you done it before? You've gone to the past and brought someone back?" A note of scorn entered her voice, "I thought that you cared about this city, but you didn't think about how much you could hurt it earlier, did you?" She leaned back again and stared at the blue expanse overhead. "Remember how I used to be? I didn't care who or what I hurt. You were the one who taught me to start caring about people other than me. Now it looks like you've forgotten who you used to be." Yusei stared at her in shock.

"I..." She was right. He had changed. And with that realisation he finally realised what he had been doing the past few. To himself. To his friends. And to Akiza. "I'm sorry." He muttered. Akiza lent forwards again to see his face.

"I beg your pardon." Yusei looked away. Akiza reached over and gently pulled his face back around.

"It doesn't count if you're looking the other way. And besides I didn't really hear you." Yusei blushed slightly and pulled her hand down.

"I said, I'm sorry." Akiza smiled gently at him, realising that he still held her hand.

"Was that so hard?" Yusei was silent for a minute.

"It's just that I could have done it." Akiza frowned again.

"Yusei, if I was in your place I know that you wouldn't let me risk myself or anyone else. Why do you think it's different for you?" Yusei pondered that for a moment before he sighed.

"I know. It's just difficult, you know? He was my friend and now he's trapped at best." He sighed again and looked at the sky. A smile tugged at his face. "It's been a while since I just stopped and looked at the sky. It's a beautiful day." Akiza smiled again, glad that Yusei was feeling a little better. She leant over and gave him a slight peck on the cheek. Yusei blushed and she leant into his shoulder. They sat for a few seconds in companionable silence. It would of course be at that minute that the laughing hyena's arrived.

_**Pagebreak, paaage break, pa-a-ge brea-a-a-k!**_

"Hey Yusei, looks like you're feeling better! Good enough to snuggle up to Akiza anyway's!" The two flushed and pulled away. Akiza was slightly saddened to for her hand to leave his. Jack noticed her change in expression but chose not to say anything. Instead he reached over and hit Yusei on the head.

"That's for being an idiot and trying to do stupid stuff again." Yusei smiled slightly. Then Jack hit Yusei again. "And that's for your girlfriends little stunt with _my _Runner!" Yusei rubbed his head ruefully.

"First off Jack, she's not my girlfriend. And second, why did you hit me?" Crow chose this moment to pipe up.

"It's because he's worried about what Akiza could do if he got her angry." At this Jack leapt at Crow.

"YOU INSOLENT DOLT! I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE MANNERS!" A vein was throbbing angrily in his forehead.

"Race you back." Akiza whispered to Yusei. He nodded.

"You're on." Akiza walked back to her Runner and sat back in it's familiar seat. She glanced over at the two arguing friends and then looked back towards Yusei. He was rummaging around in the compartment under his seat. Akiza frowned, ready for the off. When he turned around he was holding his spare helmet which he proceeded to toss over to her. She smiled her thanks.

"Dinner says you come second, and no Accel." Yusei grimaced, remembering what he had almost done.

"Akiza, on the subject of Accel, you wouldn't happen to know how to get my Runner started again would you?" He gestured towards his vehicle.

"Have you tried turning the keys?" Yusei groaned at not trying to do so already, thinking that it would have been stopped somehow. He sat astride his Runner and powered it up. Jack and Crow stopped fighting long enough for the to see Yusei and Akiza speeding off with yells of excitement.

"HEY, WAIT FOR ME!" Crow shouted,powering after them. "C'MON YUSEI! YOU TWO ARE CHEATING!" Jack sprinted over to his Duel Runner and climbed in. He started yelling almost immediately.

"SOMEONE'S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!".

_**Sorry for not revealing what happened to Jack's Runner this chapter, I promise you'll find out in the next one. And trust me, it's good. And I'm waiting for my million pounds. Cough up or review.**_


	8. Amazoness Shampoo

Akiza tore across New Domino, followed closely by Yusei and Crow. Trailing behind the leading trio was the former Turbo Duel Champion, who wasn't in a good mood, even by his standards. Akiza leant on the brakes a tad too heavily going around a corner, giving Yusei the perfect opportunity to zoom on ahead of her. Crow used his custom built Runner to grapple onto a lamppost and swing around the corner at almost top speed. Yusei knew that Poppo Time was only a few streets over and made the mistake of relaxing. Crow pulled out ahead, followed by Akiza. Yusei smiled and opened his throttle to the full. He then watched in amazement as Akiza suddenly split off down a side street and Crow also took a turning off. He pulled around the final corner and roared down the street to the garage. He was amazed to see Crow pull out far ahead of him and although he was going far slower than Yusei, it was still surprising to see how much distance he had gained. Yusei still saw no sign of Akiza though. Yusei pulled ahead until he was tying with Crow and they both pulled into the square at the same time. The only way to win was reach the garage first. They skidded down the ramp and Crow managed to send power into one of his wings, pushing him ahead. But he was on the outside and Yusei was on the inside. They were still tied in first as they pulled into their living quarters. At least,they thought they were tied in first. Seated at the table that held the computers, holding a cup of Jack's coffee was Akiza. She was chatting with Carly who was also seated next to a computer. As the men slowly pulled to a halt the two young ladies looked up.

"And what took you guys so long?" Akiza queried, "You left me to make my own coffee." She smiled impishly at them. Carly giggled. Crow and Yusei were astounded. They both knew that Akiza couldn't have overtaken them without their realising it. They were just about to confront her when a blare of trumpets sounded and Jack pulled in looking angrier than anyone had seen him in a while.

"Jack as much as we know you're a showoff, isn't the trumpets just a _little _too much?" Crow could never resist needling his friend. Yusei managed to keep a straight face but Carly and Akzia weren't so lucky. They both fell against each other in gales of laughter. Crow also started to laugh but stopped when Jack threw a spanner at his helmet.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU FIND FUNNY, PEA-BRAIN?!" Jack roared at his orange haired friend.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU THROW A SPANNED AT ME YOU IDIOT!" He screamed back.

"IT'S OBVIOUS!" Jack continued to yell at his current target, "I CAN'T HIT THE GIRLS, YUSEI'S BEEN HIT PLENTY TODAY SO IT MUST BE YOUR TURN!" Yusei had just enough time to reach Crow before he picked up the mallet.

_**And yes, this is another page break. Not as good as a summer break. Or any other break come to think of it.**_

_**Not even a winter break.**_

When Carly had finally managed to calm down Jack and Yusei and Akiza had managed to convince Crow that killing Jack would not solve his problems, they all sat down at various places around the garage and made sure that Crow and Jack couldn't reach any deadly weapons. Of course if looks could kill there would be two bodies within seconds.

Carly was the first to break the silence. "Um, so Jack," She began, accompanied with her usual nerves, "I was wondering if you were doing anything later?" She fiddled with the fingers of her hands and stared at the ground.

"I was thinking about hunting down some orange haired twerps. Why?" Jack was still lived at Crow. It was obvious by the twitching in his arms that Crow returned the feelings. The only reason he hadn't launched himself at the tall blond was Akiza had tied one of his arms to the chair.

"Um, well I was going to write a review on this new restaurant but I need at least one other person to provide an unbiased view, and er, I thought that you would have a, um, good view on, um." Carly trailed off into silence.

Jack gave his customary snort. "Fine by me. We've got nothing planned for this evening anyway. But Crow' staying here. One whiff of him and they're bound to throw us out." Crow tried to leap at Jack but Yusei and Akiza we're able to grab the chair as it went past. Crow tumbled straight to the floor, and from his position over on the couch Jack laughed at his stricken friend.

"Um, what do you mean "we've", Jack?" Carly looked a bit upset. Akiza noticed the look and immediately cut across.

"Actually Jack, me and Yusei had plans. He said he would teach me about how to calibrate my engine." Yusei looked puzzled but wisely decided not to comment when Akiza subtly poked him in his back. Carly mouthed a silent "thank you" at Akiza.

"Er, yeah. Akiza's Runner seems to be going slower than usual for some reason, and she should now how to fix it by herself." Crow leaped up from the floor.

"Whadda you mean slow?! It beat you and me here! We had our butts handed to us!" Yusei frowned and turned to Akiza.

"He's got a point. How did you beat us here?" Akiza looked sheepish.

"I noticed the other day that loads of the buildings around here have flat roofs but no way up there. I sort of hopped over. Anyway Jack, what about you? What were you so angry about when you got here?"

Jack strided over to his Runner, leaving behind a deliriously happy Carly on the sofa. He sat in his seat and powered up his engine. The other occupants of the garage looked at him like he was mad.

"Jack nothing's happening." Yusei commented. The blonde powered his Runner forward slightly. Immediately there was a blare of trumpets.

"Someone's made my fabulous machine make this ridiculous noise whenever I use the engine." Carly giggled from the sofa.

"I think it suits you. After all isn't a King announced by fanfare?" Jack stared at the reporter. She blushed and looked down, as was her habit. Yusei chuckled.

"I'll have a look at it in a minute Jack." Yusei stretched and opened his computer tools. "Hey, pass me a computer lead Jack. I'll just rig it up and check for recent changes... Okay, it seems that you uploaded a program this morning. Judging by the programming it was set to start after you powered up your runner a few times." Crow leaned over Yusei's shoulder and blinked in confusion.

"I don't remember that. I doubt Jack even knows how to upload a program." Jack also peered over at the coding.

"Coming from someone who barely knows how to ride a Duel Runner." He retorted.

"Hang on. Look at this line of code." Yusei pointed at a line of script. Akiza joined the trio.

"What about it?" Jack and Crow put forth similar responses. "Carly, what do you think?" Jack, Crow and Yusei all looked around in surprise. They doubted Carly knew the first thing about coding. The reporter was surprised at being chosen as well, but walked over and looked at what Yusei was pointing out.

"It doesn't fit in with any of the other code and doesn't do anything itself. It's really quite strange as to why it's there at all." Yusei explained. Carly blinked owlishly.

"You can't read it? But it's really easy." The Turbo Duelists looked at her in shock. "It's a kind of internet speak. It says "Rilber woks list" but I don't know what that means though." Yusei shrugged.

"It's alright. I'll save it on the computer and remove it from Jacks Runner." Yusei started typing and Jack went back to the sofa. Akiza gestured to Crow and they went outside.

"Do you think we should get the twins? They've been worried about Yusei for a while. It would do those three good to see each other." Crow nodded thoughtfully and the two headed over to the Tops.

_**Every time you read this pagebreak, somewhere, somehow, a squirrel bursts into flames. THINK OF THE POOR, POOR SQURRIELS!**_

Akiza and Crow pulled into the garage at the Tops and called up to the twins, Leo and Luna. The teal haired twosome immediately unlocked the elevator for their friends and awaited their arrival. "Hey, Luna" Leo began, "Have you noticed how Yusei and the others haven't been around much recently?" Luna sighed and clasped her hands, looking as if she was praying. It's something she did when she wanted to talk to her Spirit friends. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

"_Kuribon, Regulus, do you two know anything?" _Her lion friend appeared next to her, invisible to all but a few of the human world. He growled slightly in his throat.

"_Not much Luna. All I can say for sure is that Yusei has been deeply troubled until this morning. Something gave him hope again." Next to Regulus a small furry creature with a ribbon around it appeared. "Kuriii." Kuribon said in a thoughtful tone._

Luna smile at her friends and opened her eyes. "Regulus and Kuribon say that Yusei has been upset about something until this morning." Leo looked upset.

"Why is it that I'm always the last to know about anything?" At that moment the lift opened to reveal their older friends "Hey guys" Akiza chirruped.

"Hey!" The twins rushed over to her and Crow. "Hey Akiza, how're you're parents?"

"Oh they're out of town for a bill. Daddy's going to be a while and Mom

"Is Yusei better now?" Luna elbowed her brother.

"Ow. What was that for?" Leo moaned rubbing his side. Luna sighed and looked at Akiza.

"See what I have to put up with?" Akiza smiled at her. Beside her Crow looked faintly puzzled.

"Akiza when did you tell them Yus has been having problems?" Akiza stared at Crow.

"I thought you did."

"Not me and Jack doesn't come up here all that often." He turned to look at the twins. Akiza followed suit. "All right you two, spill. Who told you?"

"Uh, you see the thing is..." Leo quailed under the stare of the intimidating duo. "Uh... Luna can explain." He pointed at his sister. Luna sighed again.

"It's nothing big. I just asked Regulus and Kuribon. They said that Yusei's been upset about something for a while and that he felt better this morning. That's all." Akiza straightend up and nodded to herself. Crow blinked in confusion and then leapt into the air.

"AW COMMON! YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT I CAN'T WASH MY HAIR WITHOUT SOME FREAKY DUEL SPIRIT KNOWING ABOUT IT?!" Luna giggled at the stricken young man.

"And how has your new Amazoness shampoo been so far?"

"WHAAAATT! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Crow looked like he was going to have a fit. "YOU ACTUALLY SENT A SPIRIT TO CHECK OUT MY TOILETRIES!"

"Actually," Leo broke in, "I saw it last time I used the toilet at your place. I thought it was funny you had a girl's shampoo so I told her. I think she told some of her friends, and you did know that girls are known for gossiping. I bet most of the city knows by now. Hey Luna," He turned to his double, "Did you send Carly that email yet?" At this Crow broke down and started sobbing into the carpet. Akiza knelt down next to him, tucked her hair behind her ear and gently whispered in his ear,

"Amazoness? Really?" Crow howled into the floor.

_**YAY! The troublesome twosome are on their way! Only just realised that I haven't mentioned them before now. And yes, I know I'm still behind on Akiza's plan, but it will start next time., along with some Duelling. And boy, will it kick start this story... 8 Chapters in... Rigghhttt...**_


	9. Frozen Friends

Akiza had spent about twenty minutes trying to get Crow off the floor before she simply dragged him back to his Runner. In that time the twins had put on their protective gear and were waiting anxiously by their Duel Boards. Finally tired of Crow's antics Akiza dealt him an ultimatum. Either he was to stop his childish bawling or she would send a photo to Carly. The tears dried up within seconds. He glared over at the blue Boarding minor. "You do realise that you've just ruined my career don't you?" Leo looked puzzled.

"Me? How did I do that?" Crow continued to glare at him until he finally got onto his Runner and powered off. Akiza smiled after him. There was the faintest tinge to that smile and it didn't bode well for Crow.

"You two up for a race?" She asked, turning back to her student friends.

"ARE YOU KIDDING?! THE MIGHTY LEO IS ALWAYS UP FOR A RACE!" Leo shouted at the ceiling. Luna nodded from beside him.

"Alright then. If one of you two beat me back I'll buy you both a pack of cards. How's that?" Leo looked excited but Luna was supicious.

"And what happens if _you _beat _us _back?" Akiza frowned slightly. She hadn't expected them to think ahead.

"Hm, you do me a slight favour. How about it?" Leo instantly looked less happy.

"You mean we have to do CHORES?! Are man, that is so uncool!" He grasped his head in agony over the decision.

"Not quite. It's nothing hard but I'm not telling you until we get there. Are you two game? Or are you both chicken?" Leo instantly agreed. He wouldn't accept any slight to his bravery. Luna sighed and realised this meant she was also involved. Se nodded wearily.

"Alright you two I'll give you a minute's head start." She slid into her seat. "On your marks. Get set. GO!" With a poof of dust the twins were suddenly zooming down the street.

"Hey Leo!" Luna called across to her brother. "Give me your hand!"

"What? Why?" He yelled back, zipping past a van.

"If I'm right you can have my pack of cards when we win." With no further encouragement he moved across to his sister and clutched her hand.

_**Pagebreak alert! Pagebreak alert! We have a pagebreak on the loose! Lock down the chapter!**_

"47, 48, 49.." Akiza was counting off the seconds when her screen lit up. On it was Leo's smug face.

"You owe us a pack of cards, YEAH!" He was obviously excited.

"Leo, it doesn't actually count until you get there." Then a voice cut in from the background.

"Hey! How did you two beat me here?!" Akiza blinked in astonishment.

"Is that _Crow_?" The orange haired man leaned into the picture.

"Hey Akiza. How did these two nimrods beat me back?" She was astounded. Not only had she barely finished counting but they had covered the distance in an unmanageable amount of time. Even Yusei couldn't have done such a feat. Said person also leaned in. On his face was the smugest grin since one of Leo's.

"Looks like someone isn't the fastest anymore." She growled in the back of her throat and pulled onto the road.

_**Yes it's another pagebreak. Calm down, they happen all the time.**_

Back at Poppo Time they two smug Duelists and the one confused one looked away from the screen as Akiza cut the feed. Luna sighed in the background. Next time she was definitely doing that trick by herself. She sat on the couch and closed her eyes.

"Hey guys." Leo whispered to the two beside him. "Looks like my sis fell asleep." From the sofa area a bunch of light snores could be heard. Yusei thoughtfully got a blanket and covered up the exhausted girl.

"Say Leo," he turned back to the boy. "How did you two get back here so fast?"

"Aha, you see... I have no idea." Leo admitted rubbing his head. Yusei shrugged and walked into the kitchen are. Rummaging around in the cupboards he pulled out a large mug and the kettle.

"Do either of you two want a drink?" Leo and Crow shook their heads. "You sure? We've got some Amazoness hot chocolate." Leo smirked behind his hands.

"I'm sure Crow would _love _to have sUMPH!" Crow slapped a hand over Leo's mouth.

"You breath a word of that to anyone and I swear it'll be the last thing you do." Leo nodded his head.

Yusei looked on in amusement at the exchange. "By the way Crow, I noticed that your Amazoness shampoo is almost out. I assume you'll want a fresh bottle?" Crow slowly turned to face his oldest friend, an expression of horror frozen into his features. "Yeah, I was reading Carly's article on the different care products the best duelists use and she mentioned that you use Amazoness." He turned back to the freshly boiled kettle hearing Crow sound like he was having a stroke behind him.. "And according to her, it works best if you use it frequently."

Crow slowly manage to squeeze out a few coherent words amongst his panicked wheezing. "Carly... wheeze... wheeze... article...?" Leo cut in before Yusei could reply.

"Yeah, apparently she managed to score a freelance article with the "Domino Duelist Daily". Can you believe it? We know someone who wrote for the biggest paper in town!" Crow twitched slightly. Leo wandered over to Yusei and started whispering in his ear.

"When do you think we should tell him?" Yusei looked down at his small friend.

"How about when it's no longer funny?" Leo thought it through for a second.

"So... Never?" Yusei winked at him. The raven haired mand turned back to the mug and spooned in some powder before he poured in some boiling water. He looked over his shoulder at the motionless Crow. "Leo can you turn on the video camera on the computers? I want a copy of this for Martha." The teal hiared twin nodded.

"Sure thing." Yusei looked over at the door as he faintly heard a strained engine headed towards Poppo Time. He stood next to the door and counted the seconds in his head. Right on cue Akiza slid into the garage. He silently held out the hot chocolate for her. Akiza glared at him for a moment before sliding off the bike and sullenly accepting it.

"You really shouldn't push your engine like that. The compressors will wear out far too quickly and they're expensive and difficult to change." He smiled at his friend when she peered over the rim of her cup.

"They cheated to get back. It doesn't count." Yusei laughed at this.

"Remind me again when rooftops were put in the book." She flushed slightly. Glancing to her left she took in her statue like friend.

"What's with Crow?" Yusei followed her line of sight and sighed dramatically.

"I told him about the article Carly wrote for the Domino Duelist. The one about _hair products_." He emphasized slightly. He widened his eyes slightly to convey his point. She blinked.

"Why's Luna asleep?" She asked, slightly mollified by the hot drink and the sight of her motionless friend. Yusei's good humour vanished in an instant.

"We have no idea. All we know is that she showed up here with Leo and then she just sat down and fell asleep. Leo says he doesn't know anything. When she wakes up we're going to see what she can remember. I don't think anyones ever covered such a distance in so short a time." Leo suddenly had a coughing fit. It soundly strangely like "cough _Accel_, splutter". Leo sat down on the opposite end of the couch to his sister after getting a cup of hot chocolate.

"You two obviously don't know the secret of getting my sister up." He leant over and slowly wafted the steam towards Luna's face. She immediately started stirring from her sleep. Groaning in confusion she instinctively moved towards the mug. "Amazoness?" She moaned. Leo smiled and then took a huge gulp. "LEO!" She tipped the mug up slightly, letting some of it run up his nose.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Tears streamed from his eyes as he plunged his head into the sink. Akiza laughed and Yusei rubbed Leo on the back reassuringly as the boy tried to prevent blistering on his face.

_**Yes, I may have over estimated how much I was going to cram in. I'm doing a set amount within a time frame so some will be shorter and others will be longer. Next time you'll find out how the twins went so fast and Akiza's plan will finally happen towards the end. Just a reminder that I do use the Japanese but only where the English stops. And if I give a time to an event add, another few chapters to get when it will actually start. The time I give is when I wanted it to start. I drone on a lot and cut lumps off to save space.**_


	10. Dinner

Carly Carmine was in a complete and utter state of panic. Not only had she somehow convinced Jack Atlas to leave his coffee cup at home and go out to dinner and not only had Akiza somehow convinced the rest of them to leave her and Jack alone for the meal, _**BUT SHE HAD NOTHING TO WEAR! **_She was just going through her wardrobe over and over, each time getting more and more panic-stricken. A knock at the door distracted her long enough to realise that her old prom dress wouldn't be suitable. Nor would her normal outfit of striped tops and jeans. She wandered to the door in a complete daze. Throwing open the door she barked out with "I'M BUSY COME... Back... later?" Standing in front of her was Akiza and their mutual friend Misty. Behind Misty came what appeared to be a full entourage of makeup artists and beauty therapists, and each and every one carried a long bag over their arm. "Um, hi?" Akiza smiled and gently lead her over to the sofa. Misty glided in and positioned every person in a different part of the room in accordance with their specialty. "Um, what's all this?" Misty spared about five seconds and managed to convey,

"You didn't think we were just going to let you go out on a date without any help getting ready, did you? Everyone here personally volunteered and they're all completely trust worthy. You say something and they wont tell a soul. Trust me I've been begging Jerome for his makeup blend for years now." One of the men in a corner laughed. "So what we're going to do is make Jack for head over heels for you." Carly blinked in a daze, having only caught about one word in five. Akiza gently turned Carly's head slowly to face her.

"What she means is, by the time we're done, we can guarantee Jack Atlas will kiss you tonight." All motion stopped in the room.

"Wait, you were serious earlier, when you said it was Jack Atlas?"

"Not THE Jack Atlas, surely?"

"I tried for months!"

"Oh my god this is _big_!" Misty clapped her hands loudly.

"Alright people, we've worked on bigger. I'm sure we'll pull through like always. And I trust we can still count on you discretion." She gave a glare that said quite clearly that there would be discretion. When she had finished staring her friends into submission she turned back to Carly. "Hmm. I think something in blue. Not too long, considering her balance problems." Carly blushed slightly. "And maybe some amethysts. What time is your date?"

"It starts at half past eight." Akiza stepped in for her shocked friend.

"Hmm. Four hours left. If we can't get him to kiss you then I'll quit my job." Carly hoped that Misty wouldn't have to quit her job.

_**Pagebreak in motion... Or stopping... Or whatever it is pagebreaks do..**_

Back at Poppo time Jack was facing a similar crisis. "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!" He slammed his fist into the wall. Yusei calmly walked in, used to his friends antics.

"How so?" Jack whirled to face him, madness gleaming dimly in his eye.

"Look at them!" He pointed towards his rack of white suits. "This one has a hole in the hem, this one has a spot on it, this one has a burn mark on the elbow." He went down his list of why each identical suit wasn't suitable for going to to dinner in. One of his excuses was that it was clearly beyond saving. Yusei looked keenly at the dust on the sleeve. When his ranting thinned out Yusei calmly pointed at the one suit Jack hadn't mentioned.

"Why not the one you wore to the opening of the WRGP? It looks perfect, you haven't taken it out of the protective packet sine you wore it and Carly loves it. Everyone's happy." Jack glared at his friend. Yusei smiled back.

"Fine. But only because it's the only thing I have to wear. " Yusei smirked as he walked out the door.

"Of course."

_**I'm horrible so, just to throw you off I wont tell you what this is. You'll have to guess.**_

When Jack arrived at the address Carly had given him he was amused to find that it was the same one Mina and Trudge had invited him to. It was less amusing to find them seated near his table. "Ah, Jack. Good evening. I must say, that's a nice suit you're wearing." Trudge's deep voice broke through the haze of Jack's coffee. Seeing as how he liked the pair he softened his glare towards them ever so slightly. "Why are you here? Meeting someone special?" Trudge chuckled. Mina looked slightly upset, still harboring feelings towards her former boss.

"As a matter of fact Officer, I'm meeting a friend for dinner. It was going to be a group event but the others chickened out." He waved the waiter over and ordered more coffee. The dark haired man with a mark on the left side of his face nodded and went to fetch the pot. "May I ask why you're here? It looks almost like you two are on a date." Mina turned away and Trudge blushed lightly as he rubbed his neck. Jack raised an eyebrow and looked across his table as a flawless beauty wearing a magnificent light blue dress, her hair pulled back into a pony tail, sat down with her back to the windows.

"I'm sorry but that seat's taken." The women giggled slightly. She put a large purse on the table and rummaged around inside. She pulled out a pair of glasses and slipped them on her face.

"Recognize me now?" She trilled. Jack stared over the table in astonishment.

"Carly?" She giggled at his awestruck expression and put her glasses away. "I must say, this is a new look. What happened?" Carly simpled blacked out in her head.

"_Oh no, what should I tell him? If I tell him I did this for him he might freak out! Aw man." _She was saved by the arrival of their waiter. He refilled Jack's coffee cup and politely turned to Carly. At that point he forgot how to speak.

"Errrrr... Menus." He managed to blurt out and place a couple in front of the pair. Carly smiled slightly and reached over for one at the same time Jack did. Their hands briefly touched before she jerked hers away. She blushed lightly and scratched at her hairline, using the movement to disguise wiping away a bead of sweat. She gestured Jack to take the menu but he handed it to her. She smiled again and peered over the menu. She continued to smile as the evening wore on.

_**I'm going through a lazy phase. Basically they had food. I'm not going to do the eating scenes because I suck at food.**_

During desert Jack got a phone call. "Look behind Carly. See that screen?" The voice had been electronically enhanced, leaving Jack clueless about the identify of the owner. The screen ins question was easily large enough for Jack to make out the picture. It was his Runner in a darkened garage that looked unfamiliar. And there was a man with his back to the camera slowly taking it apart. The Voice continued to speak. "Unless you make the woman across from you happy this evening I will personally sell the parts of your Pheonixian Whirlwind off as scarp. Do I make myself clear?" The line cut at the same time as the screen did. Then one final message scrolled across the screen. DONT WORRY HER OR YOU LOSE IT. Jack slowly put his phone back in his pocket, livid at the unknown persons who were doing this against him.

"What's wrong Jack?" Carly had noticed the look that flitted across his face. He steadied himself, thinking off his Runner.

"Nothing major. I was just told that a part I ordered for my Runner had been delayed. I was counting on it arriving soon." He still looked upset so Carly slowly reached across the table and rubbed his hand slightly.

"It'll be alright. There's nothing you can do is there?" Jack smiled slightly.

"Not really, no." Carly smiled reassuringly at him.

"Then relax." He nodded.

"You're right. Thank you Carly."

"Anytime."

They shortly moved on to coffee, or at least Carly did. Jack had been drinking coffee all evening. Jack insisted he paid for the food and they said their goodbyes to Mina and Trudge as they left. Mina looked slightly sick as she watched the two leave. "Something wrong Mina?" Trudge asked, concern etched into his words. She smiled sadly at him.

"No, not really." She cared about Jack enough that she would let him decide his future.

Back in the kitchen their waiter sent a text.

Downstairs Jack walked Carly back to her car. Which somehow seemed to have turned into a limousine complete with driver. Carly hugged Jack as they stopped by the door. "Thanks for a wonderful evening." She smiled as she felt his arms tighten around her for an instant. Then he leaned back.

"It was my pleasure." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. She smiled vaguely at him. Then fainted.

_**Sorry for worrying you all with my writers block, but I got hit by inspiration this morning. Or it may have been a bus. Either way, I managed to write this chapter and seeing as it's my birthday decided to upload it. Yay me! If there's not one by tomorrow afternoon, then I'm sorry for not being prepared.**_


	11. Fresh Eggs And Plans

"Carly? Carly!?" Jack desperately shook her shoulder. The brown haired driver got out and opened the back door to let Jack, who barely noticed him, deposit her on the back seat where he gently sat her up and continued to try and wake her.

"Should I take us to the hospital sir?"

"No," Jack snapped. "Take us back to her apartment. I'll take care of her." The driver nodded sagely.

"As you wish, sir." There was a slight difference from when he had last said sir. Jack ignored it and focused on trying to bring Carly back around. "I feel that I should inform you sir, that I must report this to my client." Jack looked incredulously at the back of the man's head.

"She's asleep, you ignorant worm. How exactly are you going to tell her?!" The driver spared a glance in the mirror.

"Sir, that is not, in fact, my client."

"Then who is?" The driver looked back down.

"I'm afraid that I'm not allowed to inform you sir." The man turned his attention back to the road. Jack fumed silently as Carly resisted all attempts to wake. As they neared Carly's apartment complex a seemingly endless flow of vehicles poured out of the car park, forcing them to wait for a few minutes. When they finally pulled into a space near the door Jack finally managed to have some luck in getting the dark haired woman to stir. She moved a little and straightened in her sleep. Jack picked her up and walked through the main doors.

"Goodnight sir!" The driver yelled behind him. He chuckled and slid back into his seat.

_**Pagebreaks. There to ruin your stories. What mean things.**_

When he finally managed to reach Carly's apartment he gently set her down on the sofa. She stirred briefly and managed to flicker one eye before she fell back asleep. He silently removed her shoes and just as silently moved her to her bed. Unsure of what to do he called Akiza in the hopes that he could help out in this strange new area for him. The phone rang for a strangely long time before he finally got a connection. In the background Jack could make out the sound of engines roaring out.

"Akiza, do you think you could come over and watch Carly? She fainted and I don't think it appropriate for me to do so."

"Sorry _VOOOOMMMM_ Jack, I'm _VOOOOOOMMM _and Yusei says that there may be a problem with my rotational speed. You're on your _VVVOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM_." She cut the connection and Jack clenched his phone in anger. Now he was stuck at Carly's all night before he could leave. Jack may be many things but he would never neglect his friends again. He pulled a chair in from the kitchen and settled down, prepared for the long haul through night with the special adjustment he had had made to his suit.

_**Pagebreak. Just when it's getting good, I'm there to ruin your DAAYYYYYYY! Just when things are going your WWAAAYYYYYYY! Hey who are you guys? Get off me! HelMMPPHHHHH!**_

Morning broke through the blinds and started to awaken Carly from her dreams. She clung to them because in them she had managed to go to dinner with Jack and then got a _KISS_! Unfortunately for her, everyone wakes up. And when she did she realised that not only was she in her own bed in her apartment, not only was she still wearing her dress and not only was it not a dream but that Jack had stayed. She immediately fell of the bed in shock.

"Carly!" Jack yelled as he leaped across the room to pick her up off the floor. She stared in shock at the bags under his eye as he slowly helped her to her feet.

"Jack, did you stay up all night?" He nodded slightly. She frowned. "You do know it's bad to do that don't you?" He shrugged slightly.

"A true King helps his friends. And by the way you suddenly fainted last night, I'd say you really needed some." He stared at her meaningfully. "Why did you faint? Been pulling a few too many allnighters yourself?" Carly pondered what she should tell him. Eventually she decided it best he not know. For now, at least.

"Yeah,I've been working on a scoop for my boss. He's saying that if I don't get it done by next week then I'm fired. Again." She briefly pondered how many times she had been threatened with being fired. Probably more than she could count. Jack yawned slightly. "I am so sorry. Uh, let me get you some coffee." Jack gave a smug look and picked up his mug from the seat he had been sitting in before he reached into his coat. There was a sound of running liquid. When Jack withdrew his hand and Carly was amazed to see that it now held steaming coffee.

"When I had this suit made I had some minor adjustments made to the basic design. It's got a very ingenious inner lining which reflects all the heat into a liquid storage unit." Carly smiled.

"So you've basically got a thermos in your jacket?" Jack's usual scowl reasserted itself. "How about..." She quickly ran through her food supply. "Eggs?". Jack snorted.

"You fainted last night. I am _not_ letting you near ann open flame. I'll make eggs." Carly flushed, recalling the awkward phase when Jack had tried to land a job. He had gone through half a dozen jobs in just as as many hours. Maybe it was a better idea if they went out for breakfast.

"Jack you are aware that you're not the best cook?" His scowl deepened.

"I'll tell you something. I am going to go in there," He jerked an angry finger towards the kitchen area, "And I'll make the best eggs ever. If anyone says otherwise they'll hae to answer to me!" He puffed his chest out slightly. Carly realised that it was useless to argue with him and told him she was going to take a shower.

_**We're holding your friend "Pagebreak" for ransom. Give us the money or he dies tonight.**_

Carly walked into her living room, dressed once again in her usual outfit and with her glasses on, and was amazed to see a steaming pile of eggs sitting on her table. Jack was leaning back in a chair, his coat slung over the back, still sipping from his coffee. She sat down in her seat and slowly raised a small forkful to her mouth, wary of the taste. Jack stared at her with an empty expression. She chewed slowly and realised that they did taste very nice.

"Alright Jack, what did you do to them?" Jack's expression broke into the smallest of smiles.

"Nothing."

"Where did you order them from?"

"I'll have you know that I made them myself." Carly paused.

"How big's the mess?" Jack frowned.

"It's all cleared up." Carly slowly chewed her over her marvelous eggs. They continued to sit in silence until the eggs had vanished and she had taken her plate into the kitchen to wash it.

"How long was I in the shower for..." The kitchen was spotless, gleaming. All the clutter had been tidied away and the sides had been polished until they shined. Jack appeared behind her in the doorway.

"You're kitchen was dirty so I cleaned it. It's a good thing I did. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff you had tucked away in there." The young reporter blushed over her slovenly ways. Jack walked back into the main room and slipped his coat back on. "I'm going to have to go now. Crow and Yusei are useless without my firm guidance." He walked to the door and Carly caught hi sleeve just as he opened it.

"Hey Jack, last night was fun. Think we should do it again sometime?" She had no idea where her confidence had come from but she hoped that he would say yes.

"When did you have in mind?" He heart leapt straight out of her chest.

"How about next week? We could go to the memorial?" Jack vaguely remembered the area near where Crow went to talk to his departed friend, Robert Pearson.

"I'm busy next week." Carly felt despair well up inside her. "How about the week after?" The despair was washed away but the happiness that swept through her.

"I'm free then, I think." He smiled tightly and pecked her quickly on the cheek again.

"It's a date. I'll pick you up." Carly blushed as he walked away and managed to close the door and reach the sofa before she fainted again.


	12. Tricky Questions

_**Hello my fans! I'm breaking way from my normal layout and writing a quick bit at the top. Basically, this place take place at the same time as Jack and Carly's date. Jack shall return later this afternoon that is, tomorrow.**_

After much coaxing, and a couple of Akiza's slaps to the face, Crow had finally managed to be dragged upstairs where he collapsed onto his bed. Yusei gently removed his catatonic friends shoes before he quietly left the room. He sighed sadly as he tried to come to grips with the idea that there was nothing he could do to save Bruno. He was slowly trudging down the stairs when the first bolt of lightening crashed. He glanced outside and saw that once again the weather had taken a bizzare turn for the worse. It was gentle rain at first but, by the time that he reached the bottom of the sairs, it had turned rapidly into hail. The next crash of thunder came at just the right time for Leo and Luna to be illuminated sleeping on the smiled gently and softly laid a blanket on the pair. He turned around to find Akiza next to her Runner, putting her helmet on. The smile reversed itself as he went over to her and removed her helmet from behind.

"Hey!" She whirled around to face him.

"Where do you think you're going?" His tone clearly indicated there was only one right answer.

"Home." She raised er eyebrow, daring him to contradict her. Yusei didn't back down.

"I'm going to call your parents and tell them you're spending the night here."

"My parents are out of town because my father's working on a new bill." She contradicted.

"In that case we don't need their permission." He shot back.

"Seeing as I'm not staying here, I guess we don't." Yusei put the helmet on the floor and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Akiza, do you seriously expect that I'm going to let one of my friends go out in weather like this?" A curtain of hail empasised his words.

"_Let_ me? I'm a big girl Yusei. I make my own decisions." She picked up her helmet and put it back on, glaring at him the whole time.

"In that case I'll drive you home, and then come back here. I'll probably get a cold and it's pretty slippery and who knows what could happen? But, you want to go home and who am I to stop you?" He put on his most innocent expression. Her glare didn't soften as she removed her helmet once more. He slowly removed it from her hands before she hit him with it and placed it on her Runner. "What you like some more hot chocolate?" Her glare softened for the smallest of seconds so Yusei went to fetch her a new cup. "Strange weather we've been having recently, isn't it?" She continued to glare at him. Yusei sighed and added another spoonful of powder. Akiza did have to admit that he had a point. The weather had been behaving strangely recently. Yusei walked back over to her and handed her the cup. She only managed one sip before her phone went off. She looked at the caller ID and saw Jack's name.

"Yusei, want to help me have some fun with Jack?" The smirk spread across Yusei's face.

"What did you have in mind?" Akiza quickly laid out here plan. Together they put earmuffs on the twins and turned on Akiza's Runner. She briefly listened to his plea for her help. "Sorry," She revved her engine loudly" Jack, I'm "Another rev," and Yusei says that there may be a problem with my rotational speed. You're on your, "She revved her engine for a long time before she cut the connection. She laughed softly, trying not to wake the twins.

"What did he want? Was it about Carly's fainting?" Akiza slowly turned to face the tall man.

"And how did you know about that?" Yusei smiled smugly at her.

"You think you're the only one with friends? I asked Alex to pose as their waiter and Kaz drove their limo." He smiled at her. "I may also have set Trudge up with Mina in the restaurant. He said he'd call if anything strange happened. I may have also convinced Jack to be kinder than usual." His grin stretched wider. Akiza was worried, in spite of herself.

"What did you do?"

"I may have rigged up a small movie threatening him, should he upset her, his Runner be taken apart and sold as scrap. I expect we'll get a glowing report from Carly in the morning." He turned and went over to the sofa to take off the earmuffs. Akiza grinned and walked up behind him.

"They look really peaceful." She gently brushed back a stray piece of hair from Luna's head with a smile. "I still can't believe what she can do now." Yusei recalled what the young girl had revealed after Leo had calmed down. Apparently where she returned from the Spirit World was not dependent upon where she entered. But it took a lot of effort to take someone else even part way there. She had slept for the rest of the day and showed no signs of waking up soon. Outside the rain and hail continued to bucket down upon the city.

"Yusei, if Leo and Luna are going to sleep on the couch, where am I going to sleep?" Yusei lead here up to his room.

"You can have my bed." He got a sleeping bag out of his cupboard. "I'll go back downstairs." Akiza looked at him like he was mad.

"You're sleeping on the floor?" He smiled at her.

"I wont take Jack's in case he come back and Martha raised me to treat people better than that." Akiza let a fleeting smile cross her face over the lovely woman before she resumed her scowl.

"And I wont let you sleep on the floor either. Seems like you're in a slight fix." He frowned slightly.

"What do you suggest then? I'm not letting you sleep on the floor. I treat my friends better than that." Akiza smiled slightly.

"Then share the bed. You sleep at the on top in your bag and I'll sleep under the covers." Yusei frowned deeply at her. She smiled innocently at him.

"I take it you're going to insist?" She continued to smile at him.

"Yes." He continued to frown.

"Fine." He went to his desk and pulled out a pair of navy blue pajamas. "Here. I usually wear a spare shirt and some shorts." She held up the top against her and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a perfect fit. "I'll let you get changed." Yusei walked out the room and gently closed the door behind him. Akiza swiftly changed into her pajamas and went to ask if she could borrow some a toothbrush and some tooth paste. She knocked gently on the bathroom door and waited until Yusei called that he was ready. Obviously the two had different versions of the word "Ready". Yusei was standing in simply his shorts, displaying his lean stomach muscles. Akiza blushed and stammered some excuse as she left the room. She waited until Yusei came out this time. Thankfully he had a shirt on this time.

"Uh, do you have a spare toothbrush?" She managed to keep the blush to a minimum this time.

"Yeah, it's right here," he handed her a toothbrush, still in packing. "You can use any of the toothpaste you want. We all pitch in and steal each others half the time." He smiled lightly and politely stepped aside so as to let her in.

Once the two were ready Yusei instructed Akiza to take the wall side of the bed. "Why me?" she frowned.

"Because, if one of us has to fall out I volunteer. Problem?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly. She shrugged and snuggled up against the room, trying to spare as much room as possible. Yusei smiled lightly and rolled atop the sheets. "Ready?" He indicated the light. She nodded and he clicked the light off. After a few moments Akiza reached across and gently tapped on his shoulder. "Yeah?" He murmured.

"I just wanted to ask you something." Another muffled "Yeah?" was her only answer. Not to be deterred she plunged on ahead. "Do you remember the Fortune Cup?" He sat up slightly and blinked into the darkness, confused by the question.

"What about it?" She smiled, grateful that the dark hide her blush. She then asked a question that had been preying on her consciousness for some time.

"What exactly did you mean about my Black Rose?" He thought back.

"I don't exactly remember saying anything about your dragon. Come to think of it I was more focused on staying on my feet." His gently teasing tone caused her to smile, but she still pushed him slightly.

"That's not funny." He leaned over and gave her a brief squeeze.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Thank you." She paused for a minute, unsure of what to do. Then, with a trembling voice, she continued talking."I meant when you said it was beautiful... Like me."

_**You're time is up. What's your answer? The money or his life.**_


	13. No title here, just the word eeewwwww

Akiza lay breathless in the dark. Yusei lay similarly stunned.

"Um. I must say that's not what I was expecting."

"Sorry for worrying you. I just wanted to know." She managed a small voice.

"It's certainly an _interesting_ question." He laughed shakily. Her heart plummeted.

"You're avoiding the question." He frowned at the statement.

"No I'm not." A single tear slipped down her eye.

"You a_mmpphh_" Yusei covered her mouth with his. He held there for a moment and a chance stream of moonlight illuminated her face and her tear. Yusei immediately let go.

"Akiza I am so sorry. I just thought that yo_mmmpppphhh_." Akiza repeated Yusei's earlier maneuver of covering his mouth with her own. She grasped the front of his shirt tightly.

"Yusei," she began breathlessly, "Shut up." She continued to lock lips with him. After several minutes they finally came up for air. She nestled gently against his chest and he lightly pulled her against him in a hug. "Aren't you glad that I made you share the bed with me?" Her tone gave Yusei pause for thought.

"Akiza?"

"Mm?"

"You planned something like this, didn't you?" She peeked up at him from between her eyelids.

"Would I do that? Little old me?" He mock-glared at her and slowly leaned down to her eye level.

"You know," he gently pecked he on the lips, "I think you would." Once again their lips clashed together. The next time they had the opportunity for speech was half an hour later. Without talking they managed to commune that speech was unnecessary.

_**Okaaayyyy. Having witnessed this disgusting display we've decided that we can still part friends, eh? Hey ,what's that's noise?**_

The sun dazzled Akiza from her sleep. She woke to find that, in their sleep, Yusei had clasped their hands together. She gently reached out with her free hand and stroked his yellow marked cheek. Faster than she could follow his other hand snapped up and caught her hand. "Good morning." She smiled lightly and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Good morning." He smiled. One of his eyes cracked open. "How is my starry savior this fine morning?" He smiled and kissed her deeply.

"And how is my wonderful rose?" She leaned over and returned his kiss.

They went downstairs and set to making breakfast. Leo and Luna were still snoring deep within their sleep. Yusei smiled and pulled the blanket back up off the floor where it must have fallen down in the night. He gently placed it back over the pair. Akiza smiled at how gentle he always was with them. They continued to cook, only mostly distracted by the other person. The food was a bit burned but they didn't care that much. Neither did Leo and Luna when they woke. Leo never gave much thought to his food but just ate it all. Luna was usually a bit more careful but was still exhausted by what had happened the day before. They both wolfed down what amounted to charcoal. "Hey, where's Jack and Crow this morning?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, they're usually begging for food. What's happened?" Yusei and Akiza smiled.

"Jack finally agreed to go on a date with Carly last night and she might have fainted slightly so he's taking care of her." Akiza began.

"And Crow's still being strange over "the article". I think that we should break it to him soon." Yusei finished. It was at that minute that Jack stalked in through the doors. He glared around at the assembled group before striding down the ramp.

"I see you all started without me. Again." He strolled over to the pans and examined the blackened mess. "I think I'll pass." He yawned loudly. "I didn't get much sleep last night." Akiza and Yusei exchanged looks. They battle over the table before Yusei looked away first.

"Jack," Yusei cleared his throat. "What exactly do you mean you didn't get much sleep?" Jack turned on the stairs.

"I don't think that's any of your business Yusei." He continued to trudge up the stairs, a faint blush adorning his cheeks. Yusei and Akiza exchanged loaded looks. Akiza's phone rang and she raced to pick it up.

"Blister? Hey, how are you? Yeah, everything's good. Really? This afternoon? Thanks Blister. I owe you one. Oh, before you go can you do you know anyone who could hack into Jack's Runner? There were trumpets and.. Really?" Yusei toned her out and turned to the twins.

"You two ready to go back home yet?" Leo held up one finger, his mouth still crammed with food. Luna nodded silently. "You two want a boost? I can ride with you if you want." Luna smiled lightly and went to fetch her gear. Leo started to choke as he tried to speak with his full mouth. Yusei pounded his friend on the back until he could breath again. "Better?" Leo nodded, red faced.

"If you thought about taking smaller mouthfuls now and again..." Luna piped up from the door.

"LUNA," he wheeled to face his sister, "I'm a growing boy, I NEEED to eat a lot of food. Besides that's why they're called MOUTHFULS!" Luna sighed, wondering as she often did how exactly she was related to this crazy boy. Leo quickly slipped on his gear and Yusei wandered over to Akiza briefly.

"Akiza, I'm just going to take the twins back to their house. See you later?" There was a silent plea in his voice. She turned around and made sure that the twins were looking the other way before she quickly pecked Yusei on the lips. He blushed slightly. "I'll, er, um... So yeah." He stuttered out before h stumbled back over to the twins. He sat down on his Runner and slid his helmet over his hair. "Ready you two?" He glanced over, checking that they were both strapped in correctly. "Race you two back. And Luna," He stared at her with a serious expression, "Don't try anything funny this time, okay?"

"Yusei, I doubt I'll try it again for sometime. It _really_ took a lot out of me." He nodded lightly.

"Ready, set," He revved his engine slightly, "GO!" The twins tool off and Yusei quickly slid off his Runner and jogged back to where Akiza was leaning on the side with her phone. He crept up behind her and, leaning over her shoulder, covered her mouth with his. "_Later._" He whispered in her ear, before kissing her one last time on her cheek that was blushing brighter than her outfit. He then ran back to his Runner and powered off after then young pair.

_**Oookkaayyyyy. Waayy to gushy. We're just going to go. Really don't like this anymore.**_

Leo and Luna were maneuvering around cars and trucks when Luna realised that Yusei had yet to reach them. "Leo do you know where Yusei went?" He glanced behind them and thought he saw a flash of red, but it turned out to be a noodle delivery truck.

"No. Did you see where he went?" Luna rolled her eyes.

"Do you think I would be asking if I knew? Come to that do you _think_ at all?" He frowned, tears forming in his eyes.

"Don't be so mean."

"Are you crying again?" Luna already knew what his answer would be. She also knew what the actual answer was.

"No." He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. At that moment a red blur whizzed past them. It resolved into Yusei on his Runner as he slowed down to normal speeds again. "Hey, where did you go?" Leo demanded.

"I thought I should hang back a little bit before I caught up to you. Let you feel like you might beat me." Yusei winced at the lie but, luckily for him, neither of them seemed to realise it. In the distance the tops loomed. Leo suddenly sped ahead, leaving Luna behind with Yusei. Luna also pulled off ahead. Yusei smiled from his place behind the two. He opened his throttle and soon overtook them. They were almost a full block from the garage before he stopped playing and gained an unbeatable lead over the two. Leo plastered a grumpy expression over his features.

_**I would just like to say quickly that I've have the chance to PM MyAibou about gaining permission to use her version of Yugi Mutou, from her magnificent Revival and Identity series, and just as soon as I finish this story (gonna be a while) and written a similar one for GX (gonna be longer than this, might be a shorter story though) I'm going to move on to a crossover, similar to the Bonds Beyond Time movie but with a different story. Just to keep you in the loop, I'm going to use my versions of Yusei, set after this story, and Jaden, set after the story I have yet to do for him, and, now that I have permission, MyAibou's version of Yugi. I may have to tamper with the end of the film slightly. Just before Yusei takes Jaden back but after the view changes. Nice little niche for some tailoring there. Hhmmmm. Cheerio.**_


	14. The Truth Will Out

Akiza stayed leaning against the counter, still feeling the ghost lips of Yusei pressed against her cheek and lips. She continued to smile into the air before Blister's irritated shouting brought her back down to reality. "Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment. What did you just say?"

"I said that Max is ill so he couldn't come." His gruff tone answered.

"Oh." She was disappointed that he couldn't come. It would have made the entire idea complete. She shrugged the problem away. "Anyone else who can't make it?"

"No, just him. The rest I've either already told you about or sent along some cards. It's a great plan, I wonder why we didn't think of it sooner."

"I've had it in my head for a while. It's just now coming out." He chuckled down the line.

"Ideas like this could make a fortune to the right people. Got any more?" Akiza smiled down the line.

"There was one I had about an electric sponge."

"Humph, funny." The line closed with a click. Akiza continued to smile as she replayed the night before over and over.

_**Anywayyyy... We're going to HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET LOOSE?! PUT THAT DOWN! AARRGGGHHHHHH!**_

The light that fell upon him from the crack in his open door was blocked out by a tall silhouette. "Hey Crow." Jack let himself in. Crow continued to stare at the wall in shock. Judging by the look of his eyes he hadn't had any sleep. And judging by in his eyes it wouldn't find him for a long time. "It looks like someone is still shocked over being reduced to a floozy wannabe." He snorted. "I fell a lot further when Yusei beat me." Crow looked over at his friend. "Point taken." Crow rolled back over to stare at the wall at the foot of his bed. "Would it help if I told you Carly never actually wrote that article?" Crow rolled back over to face Jack. "It came up over dinner last night. Apparently she knew nothing about it. Although, come to think of it she may write the article now she knows." Crow slowly sat up. He had to clear his throat several times before he could speak.

"No article?" Jack nodded lightly. "Not Carly?"

"Not Carly." There was a moment of stunned silence followed by,

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YUSEI FUDO!" Crow leapt towards the door only to be flattened by Jack. "GET OFF ME I'M GOING TO _MMPPPPPH_!" Jack covered his mouth with his hand.

"Calm down Crow." He hissed under his breath. "It was only a little fun. Besides, Yusei doesn't know that you know so you could get revenge before he knows you know. And I wont let on that I know that you know but that he doesn't know that you know. Get it?" A very confused look said that no, Crow didn't quite get it. Jack sighed. "You mess with his head and pretend you don't know that it was all a trick." Crow's eyes brightened. He nodded eagerly and Jack let him up. "Do you have any ideas?" Crow smiled gleefully.

"A few."

"They had best not be as bad as you're usual ideas." Crow shoved his face right up to Jacks.

"Whadda ya mean bad? My ideas are pure strokes of genius." Jack snorted.

"If by that you mean that breaking the kettle in trying to get it to work better is a good idea then by all means." Crow punched him in the stomach and Jack fell on the small man.

_**You abandoned me to those thugs?! Just because I did some SINGING! I had to beat the last guy up with a SPATULA!**_

Downstairs Akiza frowned at the disruptive noise. She glanced at the clock and was thrilled to see that Yusei should have reached the twins house and would be returning soon. It was, of course, at that moment that Yusei powered in on his Runner. With what sounded like a massive brewing upstairs she directed him back out, grabbing her helmet on the way. She sped off down the streets with Yusei in hot pursuit. "Where are going?" He shouted over. She ignored his question.

"How did you get back so fast?" A guilt expression slid across his face. "Accel?" He nodded silently. She sighed wearily. The group had been telling him not to try it, just in case he got depressed again. "Why did you do it?" He sped up to her and, reaching over, grasped her hand.

"Guess." She blushed behind her visor. It seemed strange that only yesterday he had treated her not much different than any friend but now... She sped up and was pleased to see Yusei fall behind slightly. Then she swerved around a braking car and lost precious speed, letting him regain the lead. The two battled it out, back and forth, with Yusei pulling ahead before he realised that Akiza was leading him somewhere, then she took the lead once more, then he would lose to his competitive instincts again, over and over. Eventually Akiza lead them down a less used road towards the ocean.

Eventually she pulled over and Yusei slammed his brakes on to prevent crashing into her. She slid off her Runner and walked over to the rail separating the road from the rocky embankment above the pounding surf. Yusei felt that the area was somewhat familiar but couldn't remember where he had seen it before. She leaned over it on crossed arms and Yusei joined her, mimicking her posture. For a moment they simply stood in silence, letting the great mass of water lull them into a deep calm, with Yusei admiring how Akiza's hair was being gently blown around her head by the slight wind. Eventually Akiza broke the silence. "What does this spot mean to you Yusei?" He glanced over at her question. "For me it's the first real step I took towards you." He glanced around, still unsure of when he had been here before. A passing car blew the memory into his mind. Just before the WRGP he had been kidnapped by an insane businessman who wanted him to join his team. Sherry LeBlanc had helped his friends to find him before tricking him into a Duel. It had eventually been called off when the same madman who had kidnapped him had tried to drop a truck on the pair and Akiza. If it hadn't been for her quick thinking then the would have been rushed. After Sherry had ridden off, alongside her butler and life-long friend Elsworth, they had come to this spot and Akiza had asked him to help her become a Turbo Duelist. She turned to face him.

"If right here is where you took you first step towards me," he moved closer to her, "Then it's only fair that I take a step towards you." He stepped over to her and gently kissed her cheek. She smiled at him and like she had that very morning, gently rubbed his face with her hand. She leaned up to his face and gently kissed his lips, admiring how good they tasted. She then stepped back but Yusei followed, never letting their lips part. They slowly lost all sense of time and their surroundings. It could have been minutes later or eons, but eventually the laughter coming from across the road broke through to them. It was a deep throaty laugh and when they looked across the tarmac they recognised its owner. "Sherry." Yusei smiled warmly. "How are you?" The blonde French-women removed her helmet and placed it upon the handles of her Runner.

"It is good to know that you are well. I still regret how things turned out between us last time we met." Yusei's smiled flagged for a moment as he remembered the fight between the Signers and Zone.

"It's not you fault. You thought you were doing the right thing and helped us when it mattered. Not a person in the world would blame you for that." She smiled brightly at him.

"Thank you. I happened to be in New Domino and thought that it would be pleasant to catch up." She winked at Akiza, who still had her arm around Yusei's waist. Akiza nodded back. She liked Sherry but wished she could be a bit more subtle. Yusei looked between the two, knowing something was going on. "I thought that we could finally settle our match as last time we called it off." She smiled confidently at him. "And this time it will end. With your defeat." Yusei's smile slid straight off his face.

"I'm sorry Sherry, I don't really feel like it." The last few times he had Duelled he had hurt people. While its true that he had saved the entire city, he had convinced Zone that he should sacrifice himself instead of letting Yusei do it, before that he had sentenced his friend to a horrible fate, before that he had destroyed Aporia. It didn't make him feel any better that Aporia had somehow come back. Akiza frowned at him.

"What's wrong Yusei?" He looked down at her sadly.

"Nothing's wrong, I simply don't feel like it." Akiza stared at him, knowing that this wasn't the full truth.

"Yusei, you can tell me anything, you know that. Now tell me what the problem really is."

"It's," He thought about lying to her but remembered Sayer. Akiza had been lied to far too much in her life. "It's just that the last few times I've been in a Duel people have gotten hurt. I don't want to be in that position again." She hugged him fiercely and he held onto her.

"That wasn't your fault. You had to stop Zone and Aporia from destroying the city and Bruno... Bruno choose his own path, a path that would help you."

"Akiza is right Yusei." Sherry walked over to the two and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "We all do what we think is right. If we knew what was coming things would be very different. I would not have joined Zone. Zone's future would not have happened. Lots of things would change. But while we could stand her for an eternity and say what could have been or what we would have done, we miss what we could be doing." Yusei placed his hand atop hers.

"Thank you Sherry." Akiza smiled.

"Now, how about that Duel?" Yusei shook his head.

"I'm sorry but not now. Another time, I promise." Sherry nodded, expecting nothing more. "But if you want we could race back to the garage." Once again Sherry nodded and walked back to her Runner. Akiza and Yusei did likewise. The three pulled up in a row and set a countdown. It hit zero and by the time the beep had faded they were far away and still going faster.

_**A spatula. I'm not even sure how I managed it. And you just sat back and read the story leaving me all on my own. The nerve.**_

Sherry had obviously had some work done since she had last been with her Signer friends. Her speed had been vastly increased and she was handling it like a they were a single being. That still didn't stop Yusei from pulling out an early lead and blocking her so that Akiza could pull alongside him. Sherry smiled behind her visor and shifted behind a truck. When Yusei looked back he was surprised to see Sherry had seemingly vanished. She pulled out ahead of them as the truck went past. Akiza noticed and urged Yusei to go faster. He tried sneaking past Sherry but she noticed him every time. When he tried to simply outspeed her she slid in front of him and forced his speed back down. They were halfway back and his teeth were being grounded down in frustration. "You may not be ready to lose to me in a Duel but you appear quite willing to lose to me in a race." He pulled back slightly.

"Don't count on it." And then he broke the barrier and went to Accel speeds. Akiza sighed and signaled Sherry over.

"It appears that we're on our own for a little while. And while we are there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

_**You see? You did it again. Every time I try too have a simple conversation you immediately get distracted by something else. I am sick and tired of it and the next time it happens I'm gonna**_

Yusei could never quite take in the world that existed inside Accel. It was light and constantly shifting but there was a subtle difference this time. It was like there was a dark pressure approaching from behind him, but if he turned it would move as much and stay behind him, always coming closer. He shuddered and fell back into reality just outside Poppo Time. He appeared in the air slightly and had to fight a slight wobble as he touched back down. He grappled his way down the ramp and was thrown off his Runner as it hit the frame of the opening.

"Yusei!" Crow hurried over. "Are you alright man? You look like you've seen a ghost." He helped Yusei to his feet and steadied him a bit.

"It's fine Crow." He winced slightly as he moved his stomach.

"No, it's obviously not fine. The last time you crashed it took a giant evil Shadow creature. What could have scared you this much?" He glared at Yusei, daring him to lie.

"It's difficult to explain Crow. I have no idea where to start." Crow sat his friend down on the sofa and leant the slightly bashed Runner against the wall.

"Try at the beginning. It's always easier to follow I find."

"Oh,ha ha." Yusei grumbled. He paused and collected his thoughts for a minute. "Okay, as simple as I can put it, every time I reach Accel I phase out of reality for a second." Crow nodded. "And when I'm not here I'm somewhere else. It's a warm, comforting place, filled with light. But just now I thought I felt a darkness, following me."

"I don't get it. Whadda you mean you felt a darkness? Do we really have to defeat another twisted bunch of freaks? Cause I am really getting tired of this now." Yusei smiled slightly.

"No Crow, I don't think so. It just seems that somethings coming."

"Is it possible to mark it "Return to Sender"?" A haughty voice broke in. Yusei looked up at the stairs and saw Jack leaning on the banister. He looked less tired than he had when Yusei had last seen him.

"Jack." Yusei greeted him with a nod.

"I'm serious Yusei. We've been fighting the supernatural for two years now. It's getting to be a bit old now. Isn't there someone else we can get to do the job? I'm sure that our Norse friends will be happy to take over for a bit." Yusei looked up.

"You know that's not fair. Haldor, Dragan and Brodor were meant to prevent Zone destroying the world if we couldn't. Besides, if we wont do it then who can? And it's not as if there's anything to worry about. For all we know I imagined it." Jack and Crow simply stared at him. "Alright, I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it. But we don't know if it's anything about it so for now let it lie." He leant back and waited for Akiza and Sherry.

_**You did it again! Why do I matter so little to you! Was it something I said or is it my face? That's what happened to my last relationship. "It's not me, it's you. You face just puts me off."**_

An hour later the two finally pulled into the garage. They both looked throughly put out that Yusei had vanished. "You cheated." Akiza announced as she strode over to the kitchen.

"It is true. None can do what you did. It was unfair." Sherry agreed.

"I'm sorry. But trust me, it's not something I'll be doing for a while." He stared blankly at the floor while the women looked on in puzzlement.

"We'll explain later." Jack translated. Akiza stared at him but Crow gave the slightest shake of his head. At that moment a burst of thunder crashed across the sky and rain began pouring down outside.

"Where's Elsworth?" Yusei asked. "It's not often the two of you are apart." Sherry shut the garage door and half shouted over the pounding rain.

"He is probably at the hotel rooms we have chosen while we stay here." She leaned against the wall. Yusei glanced at the two females in the room.

"I don't think it's safe for you two to ride in this weather. It seems to be like this a lot come to think of it. Either way, I think you should both stay here tonight." Akiza tried to look like it was a massive chore and almost pulled it off. Sherry tried to pull off that it wasn't a going to be uncomfortable and failed. "Jack can sleep on the sofa, Sherry can have Jacks bed, I'll get my bag and sleep on the floor and Akiza can have my bed." Akiza took a sip of her tea in order to hide her smile.

When Jack had finally got the "injustice" of it all out of his system he deigned to lend Sherry some of his pajamas. Like Yusei, he usually just slept in a shirt and some shorts. He did have pajamas but he seldom wore them. They were plain white and style after his usual outfit. Sherry spent what seemed like forever in the bathroom getting changed but came out with her clothes in a neatly stacked pile and her hair pinned back in a simple braid. "Why don't you take longer next time? Just to achieve that effect a bit better." Jack was still in a bad mood when he pushed past her into the bathroom. In Yusei's room Akiza was just snuggling down next to the wall. She made sure there was room enough for Yusei when he was ready and turned out the light. Downstairs Yusei was running a check on the records of his runner. He was comparing his Accel data from that evening with all his previous data. The only problem was there was never much data recorded. He leaned back and sighed in puzzlement. Slender hands covered his eyes and he smiled gently. Those hands slid down and over his chest, clasping together there. He felt a locket of hair slide over his shoulder and, when he looked to see the person behind him, he was shocked to see it was a shining blonde.

"What are you working on?" The French tones purred into his ear. "It looks complicated." Yusei bolted out of his seat.

"Don't do that." He scolded, rubbing one hand over his beating heart.

"Do what?" She pouted adorably. "I was only having a little fun."

"As amusing as I'm sure it was for you," He glared slightly at her, "I would be grateful if you wouldn't do it again. It was rather... surprising." She laughed at him.

"I thought people liked surprises." Yusei slowly sat back down in his chair, wary now of the beautiful women beside him.

"After all I've been through I think I can cope with a boring life for a while Besides, I have Akiza think about. " Sherry laughed, recalling that afternoon when she had interrupted the two, and sat down in the seat beside him and stared at the computer screen, changing the subject.

"This appears to be Duel Runner data. Or at least, it would if there were more to it." She traced one line with her finger. "This segment would describe your speed but it just degenerates into meaningless drivel." Yusei sat forward again and pointed at another.

"This is where my rotational output would go but it's missing completely." He called up another file and superimposed it on the first. The two were near enough identical. "This is what worries me. Today I thought there was something in Accel, something dark and coming this way. Until I can figure out what it is I'm not going that fast again." Yusei pointed out the one anomaly. "See here? This is similar to a Zero Particle." Sherry looked at him blankly.

"A Zero Particle? What is that?" Yusei rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sherry, how much do you know about the Satellite? How it was made I mean." She shrugged gracefully.

"There was an earthquake and part of Domino City was split from the rest." Yusei frowned. "At least, that is the official story. What really happened is a reactor went into meltdown. The reactor was some experimental kind, something about bonding particles together." Yusei filled her in on what she was missing.

"When that meltdown happened it unleashed a wave of negative energy. We called that event Zero Reverse. A Zero Particle was a unique particle that existed during that moment of concentrated negative energy, just before it exploded outwards and spread. A Zero Particle instantly destroys anything it touches and release negative energy. We only know that they exist because the data that was being recorded was being transmitted to a backup facility at the same time." Yusei's frown deepened and he tapped the screen. "If we're seeing one of these, chances are, it's not good."

_**Yes, I'm aware there was no mention of any "Zero Particles" anywhere but they will play a minor role in what's to come. And if anything I've said or had done in this chapter upsets anyone consider this; I stayed up all night to write this chapter. Then I had tea with quite a lot of sugar. And I don't really care. PM me if you want anything changed and I'll see what's what. And I'll be only be uploading one chapter every two weeks. Mainly because they are all really short and I hate that, but also because I keep getting stuck and then not sleeping to write another chapter. And (I can't believe that I'm asking for help(I'm not, it's really a competition thingy(that may just be an excuse as to how I'm not asking for help))) would anyone like to send a FEMALE OC in? Deck not needed but one may be created if not provided. PM the genius creator of this awesome story for submission.**_


	15. Zero Particles

_**As you may have noticed, the times between my uploads have been somewhat erratic. I realised around Chapter 11 that I was uploading to a preset schedule and not when I was ready. In order to rectify my mistake I've made the decision to finish my chapters to a degree I can cope with before I send them out.**_

Akiza sighed in contentment. Once again Yusei had taken hold of her hand in his sleep and she was nestled against his chest. She reached up to stroke his face and, just like before, he managed to catch her hand before it reached. "Good morning." He murmured, still mostly asleep.

"Good Mor," and then she leaned over and kissed him. "Ning." She finished several minutes later. He smiled, now fully awake.

"It's much better now." She grinned and leaned back into his chest.

"Yusei?"

"Mmmm?"

"When do you think we should tell the others?" Yusei looked her in the eye.

"I was kind of thinking of keeping it a secret." Akiza immediately thought the worst and became saddened.

"Why?" Yusei's eyes became cold pits, but deep within a spark of laughter flared.

"Because that way I don't have to share you." And with that he leaned down to join their lips once more.

_**And it got worse after that. Some guy took a photo of my face and showed it to his patients. Asked them what they saw in it. Stupid psychiatrist.**_

When the two finally stumbled downstairs, Akiza running a brush through her hair, Yusei not bothering as people could never tell if his hair was messy, Sherry had managed to cobble together what smelled like real food from the biohazards that were the mens fridge and cupboards. "Good morning. I was just making some breakfast. Would you care to join me?" Yusei inhaled the scents coming from the stove.

"It smells wonderful Sherry, what is it?" Sherry shrugged depreciatingly.

"An old French recipe. It is not complicated but I wouldn't let your two friends near it. It would be a miracle if the house was still standing after." Akiza sat on one end of the sofa and Yusei the other.

"Sherry, if you don't mind my asking, what have you been doing these past few weeks? Yliaster is gone and there's no trace of your parents." Sherry smiled sadly.

"In truth? I do not truly know. I have traveled but it seems empty to me. The same people just with different faces and names. People are the same the world over and I do not like how most of them behave. I have no hobbies, no other family left, I have very few friends and my entire life was spent trying to take down Yliaster. Now that they are gone I have no idea of what to do next. My life has always been a road, straight and true but now the the tarmac has come to and end and there are no signs telling me which way to go. Elsworth has been supporting me for so long and he continues to accept my choices. But I still do not know what to do. I think that I may continue to travel, learn and experience new thing and become a better Duelist if I can. Maybe one day I will finally beat you Yusei." She gave a crooked grin.

"You're always welcome here Sherry. You have my word." Yusei carefully walked over to her and put his arms around her shoulders. Sherry stiffened at then unexpected contact but gave him a slight squeeze in return. When they had finished Sherry went over to check on the food and declared it ready.

_**Inkblot test, I ask you. I was on the cover of "Printers Weekly" at one point.**_

When Akiza and Sherry had left the garage, Yusei sat back down at his computer and tried to figure out what it was that he had sensed in Accel. The patchy data he did have didn't shine much light on the issue and he didn't want to risk doing it again. He was still puzzling it over when Crow walked down, still trying to figure out a way to get revenge on Yusei. "Hey Yusei. Where'd the girls go?" Yusei didn't react. "Yusei?" No response. "Hey look, Akiza's here." He sniggered when Yuesi's head snapped up. "Careful, you could get whiplash like that." A slight flush crept up Yusei's neck.

"Very funny Crow." He turned back to his data. "How's the hair this morning?" Crow blew it off.

"Great. You should really think about using Amazoness. It would do wonders on your hair, you know, how it's always getting greasy and stuff around your engines." Yusei turned around in surprise. Crow was whistling happily as he poked around for some food. Suspicions rose from the depths of Yusei's mind.

"Jack told you didn't he?" Crow banged his head on a cupboard as he stood up.

"Wha.. Jack said something to me? When was this? I've got places to see and people to be so I'll just go." He held his hands up as he backed out the door. The Head Signer shook his head. Jack was funny like that. He'd happily rip your head off one day but go out of his way to help you the next. Said person also walked down the stairs.

"Morning Yusei." He followed his routine to the letter and went to make some of his coffee. It would fail horribly and he would spend the rest of the day at the cafe across the square "recuperating".

"Hey Jack. Care to help me with something?" Jack spared a glance at the kettle. He sighed realising that he had no excuse for a few minutes at least.

"What is it?" He stomped over to peer at Yusei's data. "Looks no different to the normal gobbledygook you usually have after an Accel. Your point?" Yusei showed Jack the difference to a normal, if the word could be applied, Accel. "Okay, so it is different to your normal gobbledygook. Once again, your point?" Yusei sighed and sent Jack away. He didn't need much encouragement, the kettle was finished. Yusei's phone rang, breaking the sudden silence.

"Hello?"

"Mr Fudo." The high pitched tone whined back at him.

"Director Lazar. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Yusei may consider the strange man an ally, but he didn't entirely trust him. Their past ventures had always ended with him in a better place somehow.

"I need your help with something." There was a strange tone in his voice. Yusei noticed and was immediately on his guard.

"What is it?" There was a pause on the line.

"Come down to the Momentum control room and I'll fill you in." Yusei stared in disbelief.

"Momentum?" But Lazar had already cut the call. Jack looked up from his current blend of mud.

"What's this about Momentum?" Yusei slipped his jacket on.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out." Yusei powered out the garage door and Jack poured his cup of... stuff down the sink and went to his eagerly awaited coffee.

_**But, be that as it may, I'm now reduced to being the lower end of humour for the intermission during stories.**_

Yusei sped past stalls and shops as he took the shortest route he knew to the reactor. It may have made him unable to perform Accel, with the sharp corners and pedestrian nearby, but what with the Zero Particles, it may not be a good idea anyway. He eventually pulled up to the reactor and leant his Runner against a wall before he let himself in the non-discrepant gray doors. He eventually arrived at the control room and knocked before waiting. "It's oooooooppen!" Yusei walked in to discover the eccentric scientist Zigzix spinning his circles. "Ah Mr Fudo." He slammed to a stop. "For why is my humble reactor graced with your presence?" Sarcasm was etched in every syllable.

"Because I asked him to come." From a shadowy corner of the room Lazar emerged. "He probably knows more about what's happening to Momentum than you do."

"And what exactly is happening to Momentum Lazar?" Yusei cut across the two. "You called me here saying you had a problem. And judging by your choice of meting place it has something to do with Momentum." Lazar sighed and flopped into a chair.

"Yusei, you recall when Ark Cradle was descending its Negative Rotation canceled out our Positive Rotation?" Yusei nodded. "That was when it first noticeably happened. The truth is, it was interfering with Momentum long before it arrived. But the difference in rotational speed was so slight we attributed it to a computer malfunction and ignored it. I asked you to come here because its happening again but on a much smaller scale." He pulled out a data screen and handed it to Yusei. "The last time it happened like this happened the entire city was in danger." The screen showed several photos. Four of them were the city tumbling down in ruins, two were of Yusei, glowing red and going at high speeds, and there was a solitary image in the center of the screen. It showed a sleek white Duel Runner with a purple gem on the front and an additional two on immediately adjacent to it, resembling eyes. Astride the Runner was a tall man with a large mane of blonde hair. The Rider was terribly familiar to Yusei. He had been the first sign of the danger that was to come.

"Paradox." He breathed.

"Paradox? How in the world do you know his name?" Yusei looked up at Lazar.

"It's a long story. The basic version is Zone sent him back in time to kill Maxamillion Pegasus and I stopped him. The interval when I was trying to stop him was when the city was crumbling around you." Lazar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Either way we must be ready. I expect that we can call on you if the need should arise?" He glanced at Yusei, who nodded in return.

"Count on it." Lazar smiled gently.

"Don't worry. The energy hasn't reached the same levels yet so we doubt anything has come through."

"Director, with you permission, I would like to link to Momentum's computers so as to know immediately when it arrives."

"Absolutely _not_!" Zigzix burst out, unable to believe that the _Director_ of all people would consider such a thing. "Momentum is _not_ a toy for you to run pet projects on! I will _not_ allow such"

"You have my full support Yusei. You may gain access whenever you are ready." Lazar smoothly cut across his head scientist.

"But Director!" Zigzix sounded like a child whos favourite toy had been taken away.

"You're right Zigzix. You should make sure that it all go smoothly. Should it not I will find out why and remedy the situation." Lazar acted as if the taller man had given his full support of the idea. Yusei held out his hand.

"Thank you Director. Please convey my greetings to your family." Lazar shook the proffered hand.

"I will Yusei. And it is really we who should thank you. You are the one who always fixes these problems for us. Why do you do it?" Yusei paused as he left the room.

"Because I'm the only one who can."

_**But I'm still beautiful. And this story is awesome. This is from a completely unbiased point of view you see. It has to be right. I'm not being bribed at all.**_

Akiza was lazily drifting around her room. She was endlessly cycling between her dressing table and her computer. Downstairs a car pulled into the drive and doors opened and closed. Not that she noticed. In her mind she was constantly reliving each intimate moment with Yusei. She had considered him her best friend, and maybe slightly more, since he had risked everything for her when she had lain in a coma after Sayer was thought dead. She had been happy to see him, pleased to think that he might really want to be her friend but seeing her parents behind her had not helped matters. Setsuko Izinski walked in with a phone attached to her ear. "Akiza, we're home. I just wanted to ask you if you had plans to go anywhere soon? I'm planning to have some friends over and didn't want to disturb you." The young woman continued to hum and drift across her rom. "Akiza?" The lady in the doorway was slightly worried about her child. "I'll call you back in a minute dear." She said in the phone. She ended the call and held the device out towards her daughter. "Akiza, Yusei's on the phone for you." If she had blinked she would have missed the phone get torn from her grasp.

"Yusei?" Akiza stared in disappointment at the handset. Her mothers chuckling broke through the wall of sadness she felt.

"Seems someone is a little eager for a call." A flush crept along Akiza's face, seamlessly meeting her hairline.

"It's not what you think. We.. He.. I.. He's helping me with some of my physics homework." Setusko raised a brow.

"I thought you had finished you exams and only had to go back to school for graduation." Akiza floundered around in her head for some excuse.

"I'm trying to earn some extra credit so I can get better reports written for me." It sounded lame, even to her. It appeared her mother felt so to.

"I thought that your reports were due to arrive yesterday?" A bead of sweat powered its way down Akizas back.

"Umm... Were they?" Her mother sensed an easy victory.

"I would have thought so. After all, you gave me yours personally." There was a glint in her eye. "And you told us Yusei was especially pleased at how well you had done." Akiza vaguely recalled the brief intervals they had managed to squeeze speech into. It was entirely possible the subject had arose. It was equally possible that they had been babbling nonsense. Her mind kept dragging her to a slightly different time. Mainly any time just before or after. "And you said you didn't want a party on account of how you wanted to spend it with your friends." Akiza recalled the one friend she had really meant. "So would you mind telling me what's really going on?" Akizas mind simply froze and she toyed with the idea of leaping out her window. The ground wasn't _that_ far and it was mostly bushes beneath. After that, the garage was a few feet away and she could get to her Runner within seconds. By the time her mum had processed all that she could be halfway down the road and, "Are you seeing Yusei? Socially that is." Setsuko's head was cocked to one side. "I think that you two would make a great couple. He's always been so kind and gentle with you and I'm sure you have a soft spot for him. And the way"

"STOP!" Akizas face was bright enough to serve as a lighthouse as she collapsed on the edge of her bed.

"Whatever is the matter dear?" The carefully bland smile on Setsuko's face had a more than a hint of glee in it. "I was just saying"

"I know what you were "just saying"." She glared at the smug woman standing near her. Setsuko laughed at her reaction. Thankfully the conversation was interrupted by Akizas phone ringing.

"Hello?" She growled into the receiver. Her glare softened slightly. "They are? Great. I'll be there as soon as I can." She closed the phone and slid it into her pocket. "Bye." She muttered as she brushed past her laughing parent.

"Was it Yusei?" Akiza kept walking, ignoring her mother start to lean on the door for support as she ran out of air. At the bottom of her stairs she ran into her father.

"How are you, my rose?" She threw her arms around him.

"Daddy, you're back." He returned the hug.

"I though your mother told you? She did go upstairs to tell you after all." The faint laughter reached his ears. "What's so funny, if you don't mind my asking?" He felt his daughter tense slightly.

"Nothing. I have to go now." She extracted herself from his embrace and left the house, leaving him standing in the hallway confused.

_**Right there is one of the best reasons as to why you should never try to hide stuff from your parents. They mock you horribly until you tell them what's really happening. Then they mock you more.**_

Akiza was cruising towards the garage when a familiar stylised white Runner pulled alongside her. "Hello again." Akiza nodded a welcome.

"Sherry."

"Would you like to share what is bothering you?" Akiza frowned.

"How do you know anything is bothering me?" Sherry laughed at this.

"You are far too tensed. A true Turbo Duelist is one with their Runner, they move with the wind. You are fighting it. Trying to control it." Akiza chewed her lip for a while. "You can trust me Akiza. I am your friend."

"My mother thinks Yusei and I are in some sort of relationship." She burst out.

"Are you not? It seemed to me that you were the other day. You told me that you were." It was true. After Yusei had hit Accel the women had come to some uncomfortable truths. Sherry had liked Yusei but could see that he was happy with Akiza and didn't want to interfere. Akiza had seen that Yusei might have had feelings for Sherry and could have just as easily ended up with her as he had with Akiza. They had come to the conclusion that it was best to leave things as they were and keep being friends. "And it looked like you were _very_ happy from where I was standing." Akiza blushed.

"It's just that I'm no sure if I'm ready for a _we_ yet." Sherry moved away to let a van pass. "And what about him? What if he's not ready for and _us_." The thought of being rejected again was hurtful.

"Do not worry Akiza. You have friends who care for you. You have Yusei. It will be alright." The speed towards where their friends waited, in silence.

_**Is it not nice that they could settle their differences without killing each other? They even managed to prevent large explosions and mass panic. And in the next chapter Akiza's Master Plan Of Awe(someness) will finally start. The next chapter will be a major plot point and I don't know what's after that yet. And does anyone know how to get empty lines between paragraphs on here? I've tried editing before and after I've uploaded but it wont stay with more than one blank line! -_-**_


	16. Joined Souls

_**Just to brace you lot, I am going to start Duels in the near future and I'm going to skip some of the more key cards(by this I mean stuff like the Signer Dragons, because if you don't know that stuff, get off my story) but I may add it in it dialogue. If I miss any of the details from any of the other cards it's because I'm writing it in what passes for draft for me and I fully intend to go back and fill the details in. I'm going to do it in brackets as Level(or type)/ATK/DEF and effects may be added or put in via dialogue. I'm only doing it once per chapter per card. I tried doing it with each time and it looked horrible. I'm also going to switch between the Anime and the printed effects, depending on what I think fits best. If I set on one version of the card I'll try to stick to it. But I forget stuff, so if I miss anything, please point it out and I will take time to rectify it. This applies to spelling and so on as well.**_

Yusei was pottering around the main garage area, going over the sleepless nights he and Akiza spent together. Jack was still at Café La Geen and Crow was elsewhere, probably doing his job. He was deep in his thoughts when the man himself, Crow, crashed in from the open garage door. "Hey wanna lend a hand?" He stared at the raven haired man from under his Runner. "No? Perfect, let the short guy dig himself out." He continued to mutter angrily as he dragged himself out from under his slightly mangled Runner. "I swear Bruno tried to kill me more times than I can count." He paused in horror as he realised what he had said. His terrified gaze fell on Yusei who did... nothing. Crow frowned. He propped the remains of his Blackbird against the wall. "Yusei, I was just in a horrific crash that could have ended my life. Thoughts?" No reaction. Crow looked around thoughtfully. When he concluded that there were no sharp objects around he launched himself at Yusei. With a cry of shock Yusei collapsed onto the harsh floor.

"AAARRGGGHHH! What was that for?!" He tried to fight his way free of his friends arms. He noticed the crippled Runner near the entrance. "And what the hell happened to you?" Crow relinquished his death grip on Yusei's neck and fell onto the sofa.

"Must have a loose nut or something. As I turned into the square it suddenly started careering by itself." He rolled his right shoulder carefully, wincing the whole time. "I think I may have dislocated my shoulder when I fell on it. Can you help me get it back into the socket?" He hissed briefly, clearly in pain. Yusei propped his friend's back against the sofa and looked at him. Crow nodded.

"Okay. One, two," He yanked hard on the arm. Crow yelled in pain.

"I don't think it went back in. Keep going until I say stop, okay?" Yusei nodded and yanked again. Crow screamed in pain. Outside a torrent of motors sounded as they approached. Crow shouted louder, trying to drown them out. He silently counted until he knew that there was the right amount before he told Yusei to stop. "It's alright man, I swear." He grinned at Yusei. "You so owe me." Yusei raised one eyebrow.

"I owe you? And this figures our how?" Crow smirked up at him.

"You practically wrenched my arm out." He rubbed said arm ruefully. "Next time I'm not losing to Jack at Rock-Paper-Scissors. He is so fixing my Runner for this." He jerked a thumb at the door over his shoulder. "You should probably open your present." Yusei slowly walked towards the double doors. He reached for the handle and opened the door.

_**I would like to thank you all for being with me on this journey, all the way to the end. It's been a long and arduous journey, but we've all gained something and in the end we've all... What?... So it's not actually over?... But Barry from Marketing said... So my big "Goodbye" speech isn't needed... Oh... Feeling a little bit silly now...**_

Assembled outside was almost all his friends and rivals. Team Unicorn were flanking in on the left with their usual calm demeanor, Bolt Tanner was standing nearby with a blue Riding Suit on. Clustered together were Jack, Kalin, Leo and Luna and Sherry and Elsworth. Halldor, Dragan and Broder were standing solemnly off to the right with Armstrong, who looked surly as usual. Rudolph Heitman was standing in the background looking like he wanted to be anywhere else. Alongside him was Trudge and Hunter Pace. Crow walked over to join Kalin and Jack. In the center of it all was Akiza, who looked smugger than Jack did when he won a Duel. Yusei cleared his throat. "May I ask what this is all about?" Akiza walked over to him.

"You weren't in the best of places recently. We thought,"

"AKIZA THOUGHT! " Akiza glared Crow into submission.

"_WE_ thought that your spending far too much time moping over how you _could_ hurt people instead of getting on with life. So" She held up a Deck, perfectly balanced in the center of her hand. "Let's Duel." He smiled sadly and shook his head.

"I'm sorry Akiza. I know that you're doing what you think is right but I don't think I can." He ran a distracted hand through his hair. "I just..." Akiza slapped him across the face.

"Don't you dare Yusei. Don't you _dare_." A single tear trailed down her cheek. "You have done more good in this world with the little it has given you than others have done with almost limitless power. Look at Sayer." Another tear pooled in her eye. "He tried to destroy the city. He tried to keep me from stopping the Dark Signers. He thought that it would make it easier for him to take over. You saved me. You saved the world from the Dark Signers. From Zone. Whenever you could have given up a single life to save the world you refused. You though it was your destiny to die for this city and anyone else would have tried to prevent it. Tried to avoid it. But you tried to get it done." There was a tear in at least one eye of everyone behind her. "And you never once asked for anything." She held the Deck up again. "So _we_ say it's time you stopped blaming yourself. It's time the real Yusei came back. The smart Yusei. The happy Yusei. And most of all," She folded her arms around him. "Our _friend, _Yusei." She sobbed into his shoulder. He soothingly rubbed her back.

"You remember when you asked when we should tell the others." He murmured into her ear. She nodded against his back. He gently pulled her away from him and held her at arms length. "I think now's a good time." And then he kissed her. It was different to how he had kissed her before then. Like some shadow had left him and something had finally returned to him. It wasn't easy to say how long they stood there. Long enough for the others to start feeling awkward. Eventually Jack and Crow felt the need to pull the two apart.

"Okay people, we still have daylight and until it's all gone we kinda want to avoid scenes like that." Akiza blushed.

"Crow's right. I don't want to be having nightmares for the next few years." Jack agreed. Yusei subtly elbowed his friend in the stomach. Akiza wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You still game Yusei?" He nodded.

"I think I should warn you though, I am a little rusty." Akiza smiled and slid onto her Runner.

"In that case this is the day you finally lose. This Deck isn't mine. All your friends and rivals gather together to help. They might not all be here physically but they've all sent some cards and are here in Spirit." She slid it into the machine shuffler. "It's a combination of all our Decks. With a few new surprises." Yusei sat on his runner.

"I think this could be interesting then." The two powered off in a flurry of dust. The people left in the square took all of about two seconds to run through the choices. Watching what could possibly be on of the most inspiring Duels of any era and most likely, their lives, up close or sit there and wait for them to return, watching the Duel on monitors to avoid disturbing the love-struck pair and incurring their wrath after if things turned personal. To a man(or woman) they sat down and tuned to what was about to take place.

_**I must say, that last chapter is very gushy. I think I'm off to vomit for a while. Anyone want to join in?**_

Yusei sped into the lead as they entered the Duel Lane. "I'm first. Draw!" They both picked up their cards from the slots and deposited them in the holder.

(**Turn 1**)

Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:1 Hand:6 Field:None Graveyard:None

Akiza: LP: 4000 SC:1 Hand:5 Field:None Graveyard:None

Yusei cast a critical eye over his cards. "I discard one card in order to Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron(5/700/1400)." The poncho wearing being fizzled into existence. "Because I have a face-up Tuner Monster on my side of the field I can Summon Quilbolt Hedgehog(2/800/800) from my Graveyard." The snuffling creature appeared in a shower of sparks coated in a blue light for being Defense Position. "And from my hand I Summon Turbo Booster(1/0/0)." A twin pronged machine powered onto the Field. "And I now Tune my three Monsters together." Quickdraw Synchron dissolved into five green rings as Turbo Booster and Quilbolt Hedgehog became yellow light lines of themselves and merged in the green rings that were all that remained of Quickdraw Synchron. "I Synchro Summon, Stradust Dragon!" His silver dragon roared in triumph as it soared above him. He smiled at the sight. "It's been too long, my old friend." Akiza smiled. "I throw one card face down and Summon The Tricky (5/2000/1200) by discarding my last card. I end my turn."

"I Draw!" Akiza picked a card out of her Deck and added it to her hand.

(**Turn 2**)

Yusei: LP: 4000 SC:2 Hand:0 Field:2 Monster. 1 S/T Graveyard:5

Akiza: LP: 4000 SC:2 Hand:6 Field:None Graveyard:None

"A Duel is about the strength of a persons soul, isn't it Yusei? This is the power of the souls of your friends." She picked a card up a card from the holder. "Since you have monsters on your field but there are none on my side, I can Special Summon Blackwing - Gust The Backblast(2/900/1400)." A man in a strange bird outfit appeared on the field. "And since I now have a Blackwing on my field I can Summon Bora The Spear(4/1700/800) and Gale the Whirlwind(3/1300/400)." The spear wielding warrior and a green winged bird appeared on her side of the field. "Since you have two monsters with the same Attribute on you side, I now Special Summon Alector, Sovereign of Birds(6/2400/2000)." A metal coated warrior with a pair of red wings on his back appeared on her side of the field. "Since my field is a little full now, I think it's time to free up some space. So I Tune my Gale The Whirlwind and Bora The Spear to Synchro Summon," A blast of purple light illuminated her from behind. "My Black Rose Dragon!" Her ace monster appeared in a flurry of rose petals.

"Nice move Akiza but Stardust still has more points than your Black Rose." Akiza smiled triumphantly.

"But I'm not finished yet. I now Tune my Alector with Gust the Backblast. I Synchro Summon, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jacks almighty beast roared as it's head swung up to the sky. "Now, my Red Dragon Archfiend, Attack Yusei's Stardust Dragon!"

"I activate my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." Yusei's face down card revealed itself. "Your attack is negated and Stardust is safe." The trap card his itself again. "My Scarecrow now goes back to my field."

"But you only have one. And I have another monster still. Black Rose Dragon, attack!" Her dragon shot a furious stream of purple mist containing blossoms at Yusei's The Tricky. It exploded in a shower of sparkling shards as his Life Points dropped to 3600. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn." The holograms shimmered for a second, before vanishing.

"Draw."

(**Turn 3**)

Yusei: LP: 3600 SC:3 Hand:1 Field:1 Monster. 1 S/T Graveyard:6

Akiza: LP: 4000 SC:3 Hand:0 Field:2 Monsters. 2 S/T Graveyard:4

Yusei glanced at his card for a second. "I place one card face-down and attack Black Rose Dragon!" Stardust leant his head back and roared forward, blazing a stream of light straight at Akiza's favourite monster. She glared as it disintegrated in front of her.

"I activate my Spell card, Twin Tuners!" A strange shadowy figure appeared on her field. "This card lets me Summon a Level 2 Tuner Token and an extra for 500 Life Points if I have three or more Speed Counters." Another figure appeared and her Points dropped to 3400. "Since Stardust has already attacked, you have no choice but to end your turn. " Yusei grudgingly did so. "My turn."

(**Turn 4**)

Yusei: LP: 3600 SC:4 Hand:0 Field:1 Monster 2 S/T Graveyard:6

Akiza: LP: 3400 SC:4 Hand:1 Field:3 Monster 1S/T Graveyard:6

She put her card in the holder without looking. "I now Double Tune them with Red Dragon Archfiend." The three beings vanished in a wall of fire. "Come forth, Red Nova Dragon!" An enormous creature burst from a storm of blood red fire. Its Attack powered up to 4500. "I have two Tuner monsters in my Grave so Red Nova gains 1000 Points." The mighty being roared once more. "Attack!"

"Go, Defense Draw!" A barrier surrounded Yusei and deflected the impact around him. "The damage I would have taken becomes 0 and I can Draw 1 card." He glanced at his card and smiled.

"I end my Turn."

(**Turn 5**)

"Draw."

Yusei: LP: 3600 SC:5 Hand:2 Field:1 Monster 1 S/T Graveyard:7

Akiza: LP: 3400 SC:5 Hand:1 Field:1 Monster 1 S/T Graveyard:6

Back at Poppo Time the spectators watched in amazement. The two were more matched than any they had ever seen. Yusei looked at his card. He put it in his holder and visualised the next few moves in his head. "I Summon Sonic Chick(1/300/300) in Defense." The fluffy bird flashed onto the field, coated in blue. " And put one card face-down." The card vanished quicker than Jack did when work needed doing. "That's it for now."

(**Turn 6**)

"I Draw."

Yusei: LP: 3600 SC:6 Hand:0 Field:2 Monster 4 S/T Graveyard:7

Akiza: LP: 3400 SC:6 Hand:2 Field:1 Monster 1 S/T Graveyard:6

"I Summon, Lonfire Blossom!" A flowering plant appeared on her side. "And I now Tribute it to Special Summon Pheonixian Seed from my Deck." A malevolent eye with a flowery top appeared in the place of her monster. "Which I also sacrifice to Summon Pheonixian Cluster Amaryillis(8/2200/0) from my Hand." Yet another plant looking monster appeared on her field as the former. "Seeing as there isn't anything productive I can do, I end my turn." Yusei closed his eyes briefly, feeling the wind rushing around him, the adrenalin in his blood. It made his heart sing at the worst of times. Facing his current opponent made it seem like there was a choir in his chest.

And, as he felt another surge of feeling, top card of his Deck glowed faintly.

"I Draw."

(**Turn 7**)

Yusei: LP: 3600 SC:7 Hand:1 Field:2 Monster 1 S/T Graveyard:7

Akiza: LP: 3400 SC:7 Hand:0 Field:2 Monster 1 S/T Graveyard:8

Yusei looked at his hand and smiled. "This is it Akiza." He looked over at her. "This is the last turn." The answering smile made his world seem that much brighter.

"It may end differently to how you think." He slammed one card into it's place on his Disk.

"If you truly believe that, then maybe you should meet someone." Akiza felt a burning on her arm. She watched in amazement as her Claw Mark glowed and slowly faded from sight. Back at the house, Leo, Luna, Jack and Crow shifted slightly as the watched their Marks also vanish. "My Majestic Dragon!" The bulbous headed dragon let out a piercing squeal as it flashed next to Yusei, who now sported the Mark of The Crimson Dragon on his back. "I now Tune together, Sonic Chick, Majestic Dragon and Stardust Dragon to form the all powerful," A bright light powered up from behind, "Majestic Star Dragon!" The shining force lifted Yusei above the track and he grinned in triumph. "I activate its affect. Once per turn I can negate the effect of one of your Monsters and transfer it to one of mine. I chose Red Nova Dragon!" Jack's most powerful creature roared in rage as it shrank with its decrease in Attack. "And since I the Quickdraw Synchron in my Grave is a Tuner, my Majestic Star Dragon has 3800 Attack. I also activate the Speed Spell - Final Attack by removing 2 Speed Counters. My Majestic Star Dragon now has 7100 Attack." He frowned slightly. Akiza still had a face-down card. He didn't have any idea as to what it was. The right card could bring down his entire strategy. "And with all its strength, I attack Red Nova Dragon." Majestic Star Dragon dived straight through Red Nova, leaving the creature to explode behind it. But Red Nova Dragon had shifted to the other side of Akiza's Field. In the space it had occupied was a strange cylinder.

"Looks like you lose Yusei. I activate my Magic Cylinder. It cancels your attack and you take damage equal to you monsters Attack." Another cylinder was spinning rapidly in front of Yusei. A blast of white energy shot from it straight at Yusei.

"I now activate my Mystical Refpanel. It changes the target of one Spell or Trap card. Like your Magic Cylinders." The blast shot past him straight at Akiza. It crashed into her and she cried out in shock.

(Game End)

Yusei: LP: 3600 SC:5 Hand:0 Field:1 Monster 0 S/T Graveyard:10

Akiza: LP: 0 SC:7 Hand:2 Field:2 Monster 1 S/T Graveyard:9

_**Not going to lie. Pretty awesome. The author deserves a medal for that.**_

Yusei sprinted over to the still form by the crashed Runner. "AKIZA!" He skidded the last few feet on his knees, heedless of the shredded skin on his legs, and gathered the still form in his arms. He stared in agony at the still face in front os his, the pale face, the closed eyes, the wide smile... Smile? Akiza burst out laughing in his arms.

"I cant... Gasp... believe you!" She howled in laughter. She opened her eyes and doubled over at Yusei's shocked face.

"That wasn't funny." His stern expression only fueled her laughter.

"Oh trust me, it was." He glared at her.

"It wasn't." She leaned up and kissed him briefly. "It wasn't that funny." She kissed him a little longer this time. "It was a little funny." She put her arms around his neck and spent the next minute in silence. "What were we talking about?" Akiza started laughing again.

_**Never make fun of a man. More than once a week. A day. An hour? Fine, a second.**_

Back at the garage a hoard of assembled Duelists watched in joy as the two friends sped into the square. Yusei pulled to a halt in front of them and removed himself from his Runner. "Thank you." He said simply. His friends smiled at him and, for just a second, he thought he saw the Goodwin brothers, smiling in the sunlight. And, behind them, a very familiar figure. He raised a hand to look closer but they vanished into the dust, if they had even been there to begin with.

_**I'm sorry that the Duel was so short. It's currently 2:42AM and I haven't slept in roughly 20 hours. I'll might go back and fix it a bit longer in the future. I'll probably remove the Majestic Dragon finish. The card Akiza used ,"Twin Tuners", doesn't actually exist, it's entirely my creation. I'm also going to partner up Crow in the near future. If no-one submits a suitable OC in a few chapters then I'll probably fix it up myself. As usual, PM me about any problems, requests or suggestions. As much as I would love to write a long and awesome story my mind doesn't quite work that way. I think up some good paragraphs at random times and slot them into the story where they fit. I then see potential ways to make a story better so I'll probably drag it on another 10 chapters or so, and then come back to it if I think of anything better.**_


	17. Flathead

Crow was gazing over the vast expanse of the grass and the sea. He was at the Memorial sitting next to the grave dedicated to Robert Pearson. "Hey man. It's been too long." He wrapped his arms around his knees. "Things have been crazy since we last spoke. Sorry I haven't been around recently." He filled his departed friend in on what had happened since the WRGP. "I'm telling you, it was beyond strange. But the kids are safe. Heh, some of them are learning how to fix Runners. You'd be proud of them." He stared over the water again. "Yusei and Akiza finally admitted they like each other." He smiled. "And I think there's something going on between Jack and Carly." The smile was slightly tinged with sadness this time. "Seems like everyone is pairing up. I never put much though towards that sort of thing really. I always put the kids first." He leaned his head back and admired the clouds drifting across the blue expanse. "You can't miss what you never had though, right?" He looked back at the grave. "You never had much time for that part of life either did you? We were always too focused on keeping the kids happy. And since me, Yusei and Jack finished the Daedalus Bridge they've been better off by far. They've got a better education, better medicine." He sighed. "I wish you could see it. If it hadn't been for you none of it would have happened. The kids are happy, I got a job." He shuddered dramatically. "I work for a living. Pretty sure it's contagious. I move to the City and feel the need to get a job." For a while he sat there, feeling in touch with his friend. With one more look at the empty space he stood up. He touched the ground in front of him for a second. "I'll come back soon. And I'm going to get you back." He slowly walked back to the Blackbird. He sat in the seat and looked back to his friend. "Whatever it takes." The sound of an approaching engine pulled him back to reality. He looked towards the road and saw a familiar yellow car approaching. He waited patiently for it to arrive. It was some way off when a blast of wind shot past it and quickly resolved itself into Jack, on his Runner. He got off and waited for the car to approach. The tall reporter pulled herself out the car when it reached him.. Even from the distance Crow could see she was smiling.

"So much for a fair try." The smugness in Jack's voice crossed the interveining distance easily.

"I promised a fair race. And it was more than fair. I gave you a head start." Carly sat on a bench and folded her arms.

"You cheated."

"And how exactly did I do that?" Carly blushed furiously.

"You blew me a kiss. It distracted me and I took the wrong exit." Jack sat down next to her.

"You're right. I shouldn't have blown you a kiss. I should have given you a proper one." He leaned over and firmly planted his lips on her cheek. "Better?" Crow was flabbergasted. Jack was universally mean to everyone. Fact. And here he was, sitting next to a human being. Being nice. Moreover, he had only ever voluntarily kissed Martha. Crow wondered if he had somehow fallen asleep. The only explanation that made sense to his mind was that he was dreaming. Matters weren't helped when Carly leant into Jack and he willingly returned the gesture by putting his arm around her. Subtlety may not have been Crow's forte, but he did realise that it would be a good idea to leave the two alone. And he might need a favour from Jack in the future. He gently wheeled the Blackbird along the road, in the opposite direction to the pair on the bench.

_**Is it bad I've currently run out of funny things to say?**_

Akiza was staring at the muscular legs jutting out from under her Runner. "Care to pass me a screwdriver?" Akiza shook her head to clear the daze in her mind.

"Sorry, what?" Yusei pulled himself out, his top soaked through with sweat.

"Screwdriver. Flathead." He gestured to the toolbox besides her crossed feet. She passed him one.

"Nope." She pulled out another.

"Keep going." She passed him another tool.

"Akiza, that's a spanner." She looked away from his chest and realized he was right.

"Errr.." She quickly rooted around. "Here." Yusei took the tool and slid back under the Runner.

"Akiza?" His voice was slightly muffled.

"Yes?"

"Flathead." Akiza managed to tear her eyes away long enough to find a flathead. "Here you go." Yusei's hand waved to her. She gently tapped it into his palm.

"No, I meant come on under." Akiza panicked slightly.

"I'll get my jacket dirty." She objected.

"Take it off." Said the always logical Yusei.

"Then my shirt will get dirty." Akiza countered.

"You can borrow one of mine." Akiza struggled to think out another excuse. When that failed, she took off her jacket and joined him under the engine. He smiled smugly at her.

"See here?" He brushed a finger down a length of pipe. "It's a little loose and you need to learn how to fix your own mechanical problems." He handed her the screwdriver. "Off you go." She stared woefully at him. He laughed at her expression. "You should learn how to do these things by yourself." She snatched the tool from him and started tightening the screws along the length of pipe. She struggled to reach across his torso as they got further away.

"Care to move over?" She asked in a frosty tone. He frowned slightly and rubbed his chin.

"I'm okay here." She glared and slid astride him, struggling on the furthest one. He gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"I already tightened that one." She stared down at him.

"You said you didn't have a flathead screwdriver." He pulled a multi-tool from under his leg.

"When did I say that?" His tone indicated complete innocence. She leaned down until her hair framed both their faces.

"Yusei Fudo, you are not funny, clever or amusing." She kissed him deeply for a few minutes.

"Well then, it's a good thing you have that part covered." He gasped out when the had finished.

"Stop talking. It's not polite to interrupt someone when they're busy." She pressed herself against him again. It was, of course, at that exact moment that Crow pulled in through the garage.

"And I'm gone again." He whizzed out. Akiza leaned her head back slowly, a puzzled expression across her face.

"Did you hear something just now?" Yusei intertwined his fingers in her hair.

"Not really." He pulled their faces back together.

_**The usual rubbish jokes here. Nothing much new.**_

Crow slowly drove around the city, reflecting on how he was slowly being excluded from his friends. Yusei was with Akiza, Jack had Carly and the twins were at school most of the time. He drove to the only place that he had always felt safe. He went to Martha's house. "Hey kids." He smiled at the children dotted around.

"Crow!" Several of the children threw themselves at him. He collapsed theatrically beneath their combined weight.

"I think I broke something." He rubbed his back and extracted a small stone that had been in just the right position to irritate his back. The kids laughed.

"Looks like someone isn't as big and strong as they say."

"Crow isn't even tall."

"Yeah, Jack and Yusei are much cooler."

"I think Jack's the strongest."

"No, Yusei is better at fighting." The children continued to bicker as they sat on the suddenly unnoticed Crow.

"Come now children. Let my little boy up." Martha was walking over. "He's quite fragile really." Crow's face went thunderous.

"I am _not_ little. Or fragile." He stood up, scattering children in every direction. "See? I'm stronger than Jack and Yusei put together." The children jumped on his back and his face crashed into the dust.

"You were saying?" Martha eventually managed to dig Crow out from under the pile of small bodies and offered him a cup of tea. "So how are you? You seem to be in a bit of a temper, if you don't mind my saying." Crow sipped at his tea. "And how are the lovely couple? I heard from Zora that Akiza and Yusei are finally doing something about each other. And she says that Jack has been much less stroppy of late." She noticed how Crow's knuckles were slowly tightening around his mug. "Is it that lovely girl, Carly was it?" The mug shattered in his hand. He spluttered out apologies as he mopped up the little tea that had been left with his arm warmers. Martha let him clear up slightly before she reached out and rubbed his hand. "What's bothering you? Your more tense than when you had your first Gang Duel. And you came back quivering!" He slumped back into his seat and ran a hand through his orange locks.

"It's the others. They all seem to be pairing up and cutting me out. Not that I'm not happy for them!" He professed. "But it's like I'm invisible or something. Yusei is glazed at the best of times and if Akiza's there he barely notices that he needs to breath. I only found out that Jack and Carly are together this morning and I have no idea if the others know. Leo and Luna are great kids and all but they're just that, kids. And they're at school the majority of the time. All I have is my job and it's not exactly strenuous work. I drive around, something I love doing, and I'm probably better than most of the average grunts, but it isn't exactly time consuming." He eventually ground to a halt, realising how petty most of his complaints were.

"Better?" He folded his head into his arms.

"Mmph." Martha ruffled his hair gently.

"It'll be alright. Everyone has someone waiting out there for them." Crow rested his chin on his forearms.

"What about you?" He immediately regretted his words, but Martha didn't seem to mind much.

"I have my children. I had you, Jack, Yusei and dozens more since. I've never really felt like I needed anyone else." She rose, and wandered over to the sink. "Now, it's time for you to go. I need to start on dinner for my little scamps." She laughed as Crow's lit up. "I suppose there's room for one more. But I will want you to help. You can start with the onions. I'll need about twenty." Crow's face fell again.

_**Still in a bit of a flump for funny sayings. Gimme a glue here.**_

Dinner was a delicious affair. Martha had cooked a large pot of casserole with a serving of rice. Crow had wept slightly at the taste of her cooking, much to the amusement of the younger children. He spun them tales of woe, about how the endless nights in front of the television had been bore with little food, and the fridge was perpetually empty. "So what your saying is, you stay up all night in front of the TV?" One of the more imaginative orphans cut across.

"Without having to eat your vegetables each night?" Another joined in. They all started picking holes in his story faster than he could spin it. In the end he resorted to the all purpose argument winner. He shoveled his food into his mouth and lay claim to a race with a highly enticing prize.

"First one to finish can have a ride on my Duel Runner tomorrow." The air was immediately filled with the sound of busy mouths. Exactly three minutes later Crow leapt to his feet with his arms stretched towards the ceiling. "VICTORY!" The rest of the children groaned. "Buuuuuuut," They looked at him in hope. "I might be here next weekend. So whoever is the most helpful to Martha by then gets to have a ride. How's that?" For the second time that day he was covered in laughing children.

_**Sorry for such a short paragraph. You lot just aren't worth the effort anymore... Nah, of course you are. Seeing as how you're going to send money and all. *wink wink***_

Across the city people lay down to rest as the sun slowly vanished beneath the horizon.

Jack was slowly stroking Carly's hand as they stared at the ceiling of her lounge. They had sat on the floor for a film and couldn't think of why to get up again.

Crow was driving home, unaware of what was coming for him, but with hope in his heart again.

Akiza was sitting in the sofa in the arms of Yusei, dreaming dreams that she no longer wanted in contrast to her reality. A light bleeped into existence on the dashboard of his Runner. He slowly unwove his arms from around Akiza's shoulders and leant her head against the arm of the sofa. Smiling at the frown that appeared on her face, showing that she missed him even in her sleep, he covered her with a blanket and went to check what was happening. It was his link to Momentum's computers. The Reactor was surging again. And outside the clouds rolled across the sky.

_**Sweet enough for you? It may have been a long time coming but I usually write this stuff in the middle of the night. It's the only spare time I get. It's why the chapters get a little bit weird sometimes. Noticed the little "coincidence" that has been happening all the way yet? PM me if you think you have. Sorry for the massive lie in Ch15(where I said that this would be a major plot point), but the next chapter is going to blow your minds. But it might also be 10,000+ words long. And take a month or two.**_


	18. The Big One

_**Sorry for the long wait but this is quite a long one. Obviously that means that I've spent many sleepless nights on this and you'll read through it in about five minutes. Also, from this chapter until further notice(probably next chapter), I'm going to make the breaks in paragraphs bigger by writing my usual comments and then lines of "pagebreaks"'s. On the subject of my computer, it's working fine, Windows Media Player is just having a bit of a tizzy at the moment, so I can continue to bring you lot the best 5D's FanFiction. And continuing from where we left off.**_

Yusei followed the change in Momentum's Rotation in shock. Instead of dropping it was _rising_. It made no sense. As the power reached critical levels his screen overloaded with warnings and a message box popped up in the center. "Venting excess power". The power levels dropped back back below the critical levels and all the streetlights seemed to shine brighter. A few seconds later the levels dropped dramatically as the warnings vanished. The lights outside dimmed back to their normal levels and the link on his computer closed. He quickly scribbled a note for Akiza. "_Akiza,_" He wrote, "_Something's happened to Momentum. If you wake before I come back don't worry. Don't leave or let anyone you don't know in either. I may be being a bit overprotective but please listen to me._" He folded the letter into thirds and wrote "_Akiza_" on the outside in his flawless penmanship. He placed the letter by her head and smoothed out her hair briefly. After a quick kiss on her furrowed forehead, he wheeled his Runner out into the night and set off to find the Director. And across town a dark figure unfurled itself.

_**Aren't I menacing?**_

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Yusei skidded around the corner to the hall outside the Director's Office. Literally. He had decided that taking the stairs would let him drive straight to the door without endangering anyone. The doors opened with a slam as he burst in at top speed. Lazar shrieked like a young girl and leapt under his desk. "Take whatever you want but leave me alone!" Yusei dragged the screaming man out from under his desk and shook him by the lapels.

"Director Lazar! Director!" He shook the man again. "Director, we need you! Momentum has hit critical levels! Come on!" He dragged the blubbering man over to his Runner and jammed his spare helmet on him. "Hold tight." He revved up his engine and released the brakes, shooting straight out the window. Lazar screamed with all his might as he felt his body mass drift out the top of his head. Yusei carefully angled his Runner for the building across the street. "Oomph." The air rushed out his lungs as he hit the roof. He sped across the roof and pulled his Runner across the interveining air. Akiza was right. This was much more direct than taking the streets. In no time at all he had arrived at the entrance to Momentum. He spared no time in dragging the short man down the stairs.

Professor Zigzix looked up in annoyance as his door slammed open. Hadn't he said he needed absolute silence? Whichever one of his assistants that had dared to disturb him would be sent to help clean up what remained of the Satellite Slums. A smile carved itself into his face as he recognized Yusei Fudo. That boy just wouldn't leave him alone! "What is it this time? I suppose you have come about the Reactor? I assure you, it's perfectly"

"Don't say it's fine," Yusei cut across him, "If it's anything as bad as I fear then it is most definitely not fine."

"And what exactly is it that you fear Yusei?" Lazar's voice was strangely muffled. "It must be pretty serious if it meant kidnapping me." Yusei turned around and realised that he had put the helmet on Lazar's head backwards. He gently tugged it off.

"It's not something I can fully explain sir." Lazar ruffled his hair back into it's usual look.

"Then tell us what you can." Yusei took a deep breath and considered how best to explain it to them.

"Each time I enter an Accel Synchro I pase out of reality for a moment. Whenever I do I seem to exist in a place where space and time don't operate within the same parameters as they do here." He glanced at Zigzix who nodded briefly. "When I was last there, a few days ago, I felt what seemed to be a crushing darkness, something with the will and the power and the might to destroy our entire world. When I was ran the data I can still gather during an Accel against my previous notes I realised something truly horrifying. Somehow there was a Zero Particle." Zigzix started spinning on his left heel.

"So, in other words, in a space where space and time are different, in a version of reality that cannot be accessed, you claim to have seen the very root cause of the Zero Reverse incident?" His tone make Yusei clench his fists tightly. "And you expect us to worry over it? Like that's going to happennnnnnnnnnn!" He ground to a halt and slammed his hands flat against his desk. "Even if I was worried over it, which I'm not, there's not anything I can do. You're talking about another plane of existence, I'm not denying that such a thing exists, " He swiftly added as Yusie opened his mouth in anger, "But it's whole _dimensions_ away! Nothing can cross that kind of distance! Nothing is going to "get out"! And all we have to rely on is the word of one Satellite Slum rat and his gang of criminals and children." He stalked back to his computer monitors and started typing.

"You're right Professor. It is whole dimensions away. What harm can it possibly do to you?" Yusei's tone was cold and hard and it froze Zigzix's hands an inch from the keys. "But if I can get _in_ what's to stop something getting _out_? I'm sorry for wasting your time Director." He gave a stiff bow to the diminutive man. "And I apologise for your window as well. I thought that getting here quickly was going to help matters. Obviously I was mistaken." He walked quickly towards the door and shut it loudly behind him.

"Professor Zigzix, you should have more care in how you speak to those I hold in higher regard than you." Lazars tone was sharp in the aftermath of Yusei's dramatic leave. "It could effect you career quite badly." The bespectacled man faced his superior and sighed.

"I am fully aware of how bright that young man is sir. I am also aware of what he has done for this city. But this? Zero Particles in other dimensions, no knowing when if or how they are coming? I find that a bit hard to believe. But I mostly find it terrifying. I hope that he is wrong, sir. For all our sakes."

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Yusei was glad that he had left when he had. If he had stayed he was sure he would have hit that sycophantic scientist right in his face. How _dare_ he judge his friends upon the little he knew! They had each faced challenges few of the people who had lived in the city their entire lives could even dream about. His grip tightened around the handles of his Runner. His friends had suffered more than anyone should have to, and simply because they had been without family. He rode down the highways, letting the motions of his wheels ease the tension from his body. He glanced over the rippling water at Domino City. He always found it so much more peaceful at night. Most people were at home and he was the only one on the road, just drifting down the tarmac covered high way. He slowly took his gaze off the view of the city and returned it to the road in front of him. He wasn't sure that he wanted to go back to the others in the mood he was in. He drifted around a few corners and headed towards the view point over the city.

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He had been leaning on the railing for around twenty minutes, just watching the city sparkle, when a voice cut through his thoughts. "Yusei Fudo?" He was sure that he had never heard the voice before but it had a naggingly familiar tone to it. He turned to see who had addressed him and saw a young woman wearing a full face concealing helmet with an elongated back that jutted out just past her shoulders and a dark red leather riding top with a jagged streak of blue crossing from her left shoulder to her right hip. She was also wearing a black set of trousers with dual lines or red and gold stripes from each hip to ankle and had a backpack fasted onto her shoulders. Bizarrely she was also wearing what appeared to be a pair of roller skates. And strapped to her crossed left arm was a Duel Disk.

"Who wants to know?"

"Someone who wants to challenge you to a Duel, Mr Fudo. And with stakes that I don't think you will be able to refuse." Her tone was faintly amused. Yusei was immediately on his guard.

"What exactly are the stakes?"

"Should I win, I will eventually need your help. I want you to promise that you will give it. Should you win, I will tell you all I can about the Zero Particles in Accel and leave you in peace." A chill ran through him. There had only ever been two people who could use an Accel Synchro of any kind. One was him. The other was...

"What have you done to Bruno?!" He shouted at her. The mysterious woman seemed surprised at what he was thinking.

"I assure you, I haven't done anything to him. I haven't even met him. I can tell you everything but you have to prove to me that I'm not going to have to stay around. You beat me, I leave and you know everything I know. It's that simple."

"Fine." He snapped at her. He walked over to his Runner to remove his Duel Disk but she told him not to.

"It's going to be a Turbo Duel on not at all." Yusei looked at her like she was crazy.

"You're crazy. How are you going to Turbo Duel without a Duel Runner?" She tapped her fingers against her upper arm impatiently.

"Yes or no, Mr Fudo?" He grunted and at back on his Runner.

"Yes." He turned his engine on. "Who's going first?" The woman skated over to where he was.

"First one to the highway takes the first move. I'll give you a head start of five seconds. Go!" Yusei powered off down the twisting road that lead to the viewpoint. He opened his rear camera feed and noticed that nothing seemed to be following. He edged slower as he realised that it was probably a hoax. But he couldn't figure out why. What was the point to... A blast of wind shot past him and the mysterious woman appeared ahead of him, expertly grinding down the safety barrier on the far side of the road. "Is that really all the famous Yusei Fudo has? I expected slightly more." She leapt off the barrier as they came to the end of the corner and breezed past the next one before he had reached halfway. When he reached to bottom of the road she was already most of the way towards the Duel Lane that had been assigned to them. A text-box popped up on his screen. "My turn." Yusei gritted his teeth and pushed as hard as he could to catch up to her. She was only a few hundred meters when he pulled up behind her. She looked back at the sound of his engines and laughed. "Really? I thought you had stopped to have a drink and a snack. That thing moves like a geriatric snail." She arched her legs and powered on ahead. It was strange, she was moving her legs at the usual speed but going far faster than she should have been going. "I go first. Activating the Speed World 2 Field Spell." The card flashed up on Yusei's screen and their surroundings took on the purple ting of a Turbo Duel that was blanked out in the sun. "I Draw!" She snatched the top card of her Deck and put in in a slot on her sleeve.

(**Turn 1**)

?: LP:4000 SC:1 Hand:6 Field:None Graveyard:None

Yusei Fudo: LP:4000 SC:1 Hand:5 Field:None Graveyard:None

"I place two cards face down and Summon my Twilight Rose Knight(3/1000/1000) and using its special ability I Special Summon Lonfire Blossom(3/500/1400)!" The warrior and burning plant appeared on her field. "I now Tune them together to forge Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" A horseman with a short lance in either hand galloped onto the field. "And since I Synchro Summoned I now Special Summon Synchro Magnet(3/1000/600)." The metal creature hovered around the horseman. "And I now Tune my new monsters together to form Naturia Leodrake(9/3000/1800)!" A lion made from a flower roared as it appeared on her field. "You have one turn Yusei. Make it count." Yusei felt a chill spread through his body. She hadn't said it like a boast or a challenge, just a simple fact.

"I Draw!"

(**Turn 2**)

?: LP:4000 SC:2 Hand: 1 Field: 1 Monster. 2 S/T. Graveyard:4.

Yusei Fudo: LP:4000 SC:2 Hand:6 Field:None Graveyard:None

He slipped the card into his holder. "I Summon Big One Warrior(1/100/600)." The monster appeared on his field. "And I discard one card to Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron(5/700/1400)." The sharpshooter appeared on his field. "And because I have a Tuner I now special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog(2/800/800) from my Graveyard." The furry creature sparked with blue. "And I now tune them all together to form Stardust Dragon(8/2500/2000)!" His favourite card roared into existence above him. "Since I seem to be at a disadvantage I activate my Speed Spell - Silver Contrails and raise Stardust's attack points by 1000!" The dragon swelled as it's power increased. "Now, attack!"

"I activate my trap cards!" One of her cards flipped up and surrounded her with a shield. "Because of my Defense Draw I take no damage and I draw one card from my Deck." The other card flipped up. "And since you used a Speed Spell my Acceleration Zone trap card boosts my Speed Counters by 6."

"I place one card down and end my turn." Yusei placed his Scrap-Iron Scarecrow in a slot.

"I said you were going to get one turn. This is it. I Draw!"

(**Turn** **3**)

?: LP: 4000 SC:9 Hand:3 Field 1 Monster. Graveyard:6

Yusei Fudo: LP: 4000 SC:3 Hand:1 Field: 1 Monster. 1 S/T Graveyard: 5

"Since I have 3 Speed Spells and 9 Speed Counters, I can remove 8 of my Speed Counters to inflict 800 Damage for each Speed Spell in my hand for each 4 Speed Counters. Since I have 8 and 3 Speed Spells, that means you take over 4000 damage." She spun around on one foot with her other leg kept straight, just below the level of her waist as she crouched slightly. A blast of energy shot from her foot and crashed into Yusei's chest.

(**Game End**)

?: LP:4000 SC:1 Hand:3 Field: 1 Monster. Graveyard:6

Yusei Fudo: LP:0 SC:3 Field: 1 Monster. 1S/T. Graveyard: 5.

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Yusei's Runner automatically powered down. The strange figure pulled to a halt in front him. "I'm sorry that I had to do that. I would have done it differently if I could. If it makes you feel any better I had several other strategies in place." Yusei remembered the last time he had lost. It had been to Jack, a person who had spent years studying his every strategy and this person had simply come along in one day and beaten him in a single move. The same person who was still speaking. "If I had to guess, your face-down card is Scrap-Iron Scarecrow." She reached over and pulled it out. "I thought so." She placed the card on top of his Deck and laid her hand there for a second. "I'll see you soon." She rose to leave but he caught her wrist.

"Answer me one thing." She tugged her arm but he tightened his grip. "Why those cards? I know someone who uses the exact strategy as the one you did at the start."

"They mean a great deal to me. They used to belong to someone who meant forever to me." Yusei could hear the tears in her voice and realised what must have happened. He released her hand.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed behind her mask.

"It's okay." He reached out his right hand to her.

"Good Duel." She stared at his hand for a moment. Or it could have been at him. The mask concealed so much. After a moment she reached across and shook it.

"Thank you." She let go quickly and made to be off.

"Wait?" The expressionless helmet turned to face him one last time. "Who are you?"

"Me?" She sounded startled. "Ah, this is what you do, isn't it Yusei? You take care of people. Even when the would rather you didn't." She laughed lightly, and the sounded had that haunting familiarity that her voice did. "You can call me Sume."

"Sumay?"

"_SUE_-_MAY_. It's a short version of my name." This mysterious person turned her head skywards. "They're beautiful aren't they?" She nodded. "The stars." Yusei turned his head to look. "They say t that there was once a great fight around a star and the heart of those involved broke the star down, into a hungry monster and one the fighters was lost." Yusei felt a tear slip down his cheek. "But what is lost can still find its way back. If it has something to look for. Look for me Yusei." The stranger slipped away before Yusei looked back.

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Yusei gently wheeled his Runner back into the garage and parked it next to Jack's before he shut the door behind him. He slumped down on the floor and leaned his head against the wall next to the door. "What sort of time do you call this?" A pair of hands started combing through his hair. "You should really sleep more." He pulled on of the hand down to his mouth and gently kissed it. "But it really all depends on if you've got nothing better to do." He smiled.

"Do I have nothing better to do?" Akiza laughed quietly.

"I thing my Runner is due for a bit of a tune-up. Last time very little work was actually done." She sighed dramatically. "I suppose it must all be my fault. I should really take better care of it." Yusei slowly pushed himself up of the floor.

"You're right, it is your fault." He tuned around and hugged the tussled haired girl in a blanket. "If you weren't so attractive I could have done so much better." She pecked his lips.

"Sounds fair." He kissed her again.

"How was your ride?" He frowned.

"Let's see. I owe the Director a new window, uh, I insulted the Head Scientist for the city and I was coerced into a Duel by a strange woman. How has your night been?" Akiza scowled at him.

"Another woman? Was she as attractive as the last one?" She extracted him from his arms.

"I can't tell you that. She wore a full helmet and never took it off." Akiza folded her legs up on the sofa.

"Are you sure? Or where you simply more absorbed in "other things"?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm. He sat next to her and stared into her eyes.

"I'm sure. You know that it wouldn't make a difference even if she went out of her way to try something." He placed his hand on her cheek. "This is what matters most to me in this world." She leaned into his palm. "And I don't really think you'd be interested in having a third party!" The look she gave him could have soured grapes.

"If it was down to Duelling I'd beat her hands down. And maybe without the Duel."

"No offense, but I believe she would win." Akiza arched an eyebrow at him.

"You know me. I'd win. I've almost had you beat a few times." Yusei reflected bitterly upon the previous hour.

"She did." Akiza laughed.

"One try and she almost beat you? You're right, she'd mop the floor with me." Her tone was as sour as her face. He felt more sour than she looked.

"Not almost Akiza." She looked confused.

"But you said..." The truth struck her. "She actually beat you! But you've only ever lost to Jack and he has known you for all your life!"

"You think I don't know that!" He snapped at her. "I'm sorry, it's just that..." She held his hand. He had the nagging feeling again, how it was so familiar to something else.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head.

"Not really." She tugged his hand until he looked at her.

"Trust me, you'll feel better. If there had been someone for me when I first... "Went off"." He held her hand a little tighter.

"Alright. But tell me if you notice anything weird." A frown plucked at the corner of her mouth.

"Weird how?" He smiled and told the story.

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"So what exactly was I meant to find weird?" Yusei frowned. It seemed that it was only him. "Other than the fact you lost. To a _girrlll_?"

"Never mind." He glanced out the windows. The sun was rising, off in the east. "Would you like some coffee? Or tea?" Akiza streched and arched in a yawn.

"Tea please. Milk." Yusei went over to the kettle. He filled it up and set it to boil. The door opening pulled his and Akiza's gaze drifted towards the figure who walked in.

"Jack? Where have you been?" Akiza's tone was afire with curiosity.

"I, er, I went for a stroll." The lie was clear in tall man's tone.

"You know something strange Jack? Late last night the Reactor went critical and vented itself into the powerlines for the city." Yusei took the metaphorical stage. "I went to visit the Director and only got back a few hours ago. When I left, you were out, when I got back, you're still out. At a guess you were out all night." Jack noticed the kettle and made a last ditch attempt at a different conversation.

"Look like the kettle's boiled then? I'll make us all some coffee." Akiza was very grateful that Yusei was the type of person he was. Mainly intelligent and caring. It made him very quick on his toes.

"It's fine Jack, I'll do it. So tell us about this stroll of yours. Where exactly did you go?" Yusei could see the pressure getting to Jack.

"Does it matter that much?" Yusei subtly motioned for Akiza to lave the two of them alone.

"I need a shower. Yusei, where did my clothes go?" Jack looked at Yusei with a "I knows what's been going on" look. Yusei cringed as he realised how it looked.

"I put them in the wash. They're folded on my desk." Akiza kissed him lightly as she walked past. Jack looked smugger than ever and Yusei resembled a ripe apple.

"So, Yusei, something you want to say?" Yusei glared at his rival.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. You first, I insist." Jack realised that there was no way out of it.

"Fine, if you have to pry, I spent the night at Carly's."

"You did _what_?" Crow was coming down the stairs and had heard the last part of Jack's sentence. "Are you and her sleeping together now?" Jack started throttling his friend.

"**JUST WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY?!"** Crow fought to remove the hands from his neck.

"And what exactly do you mean by "now"?" Yusei jabbed a pressure point in Jack's hand. Is hands fell open and Crow collapsed to the floor where he went straight for Jacks legs. Jack waved his arms around to keep his balance but grabbed Yusei's jacket as he went down. Yusei wove his arms around Jack's neck and upper arms as he pulled him into a hold. "Jack stop it." Jack kicked Crow in the shins as he struggled to stand back up. Yusei tightened his grip and pulled until Jack gasped in pain. "Now, I'm going to let go in a second. If you attack Crow I will be forced to help him. Okay? I'm letting go **oomph**!" Crow had jumped on Jacks stomach and firmly planted his elbow first. Since Jack was on top of Yusei all the additional mass went straight to him, knocking the air flat out of his lungs. As he involuntarily let go of Jacks arms the blonde went out swinging.

When Yusei finally managed to drag the two apart Jack had a split lip and Crow was applying pressure to as much of his chest as he could. Just for good measure, Jack kicked Crow in the shins once more. "Street rat."

"You wait Jack." Crow wheezed in pain. "Just as soon as I can move again, I'm selling this story to everyone in town. "Former King and the Reporter." Has a nice ring, don'tcha think?" Yusei hauled Jack out of reach.

"There's nothing "former" about _me_!"He tried to launch himself at Crow but Yusei pulled him off balance."

"Cool it Jack." He pulled Jack away. "Crow, stop badgering him." He walked over to the kitchen and poured Jack a cup of coffee. "Jack, have this." The cup was warily taken.

"Thanks Yusei." He took a sip and gagged. "Not so thanks. Are you trying to poison me?" He slammed the mug down and stalked out the door. Crow levered himself on the couch.

"What exactly is in the coffee?" Yusei shrugged.

"Nothing. I don't know why he makes such a fuss." Yusei walked over to the kitchen."Do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'm alright." He stretched and winced. "Correction, I will be alright." He awkwardly mounted his Runner. "I'm off to visit Bashford. I haven't seen him in quite a while." Yusei cracked a smile.

"What sort of son are you? Not visiting your old dad." Crow scowled at him.

"I'll see you later." He drove out. Yusei paid strict attention to the kettle for the next few minutes. The timer was a little dodgy sometimes so they all counted off the minutes and hoped nothing broke. When he was relatively sure the kettle was boiled he placed a tea bag in the spare cup that was used for guests and stirred in some milk. He carefully walked it upstairs and knocked on his door.

"Akiza, I've got your tea." He walked in without thinking and the first thing he saw was Akiza without a shirt on, vigorously toweling her hair. He slammed the door shut and felt the blood rush to his face. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing that he had hoped to see. He hurried down the stairs and leaned against the wall trying to slow his frantic heartbeat. The sound of a door opening drew his gaze to the wooden stairs. Slowly coming down was Akiza. "Hey."

"Hey." She said softly.

"Sorry about that." She smiled.

"It's alright. I assume it was an accident?" She wound his arms around her.

"Would it matter if it wasn't?" He asked sadly. To his surprise she kissed him.

"Not really." The heat suffused his cheeks again. She laughed delightfully.

"What's on the agenda for today?" She grinned wickedly.

"Meeting my parents." Yusei stared at the women in his arms with confusion across his features.

"I've meet them. Your father came to me when I was at Martha's and I met your mother in the hospital when you were in your coma. You've been told that, haven't you?" She continued to smile.

"I don't recall being in a relationship at that point. Do you?" Yusei finally caught up with her mind.

"You want me to _meet_ your parents?" Akiza laughed at his inflection.

"Yes. I think they should know we're together." Yusei briefly toyed with the idea of running away.

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"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yusei yelled across to Akiza as they drove along the roads, "I think a murder may put a slight blemish on your fathers career." Akiza smiled.

"Then you should probably try and be extra charming." Yusei grumbled under his breath. They drove on towards the Izinski residence.

"Akiza, how exactly do we explain why you've be staying over? The instant you explain we're together your father will make an excuse, leave the room and sharpen the axes." Akiza laughed at his choice of words.

"If I beat you there, it's the first thing you have to say to him." Yusei powered off into the distance, closely pursued by Akiza. Since she still used a basic engine he easily beat her there, even when she vaulted a few houses. He reached into the compartment under his seat and pulled out the flowers he had got for Akiza's mother.

"Are you sure she'll like these?" Akiza pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out.

"Roses are her favourite. Same as mine." She pulled Yusei towards the door.

"Your favourite flowers are roses?" She put her key in the lock.

"Yes." She opened the door. "Mum? Daddy?" Setsuko leaned her head out of the doorway to the kitchen.

"Hello Yusei, it's so nice to see you again. Are those flowers for my little girl?" She smiled at the scowl on her "little girl's" face. Yusei nervously cleared his throat.

"Actually, Mrs Izinski, I got them for you. Akiza mentioned recently that you liked roses." Setsuko gathered the flowers in her arms.

"Yes, I do have a fondness for them." Akiza's father appeared from the back of the house, dressed in a jumper and some jeans.

"Yusei." He held out his hand.

"Senator Izinski, how are you sir?" He shook the proffered hand. Hideo laughed at the young mans manners.

"I'm very well Yusei, thank you for asking, but please call me Hideo." he held up a hand when Yusei started to object. "If it helps at all, I would be insulted if you don't refer to me by my name. I owe you a very great deal for what you've done over these past few years and if there's ever anything I can do to help you or your friends, please don't hesitate to ask." Yusei smiled.

"Thank you... Hideo." The bearded man smiled.

"We were just about to have some lunch, I hope you can join us?"

"Actually Hideo,"

"I'm sure Yusei would love to." Akiza cut across the beginnings of an excuse. Her mother looked between the two, sure something was going on between them.

"Is there anything you don't eat Yusei?" Hideo also noticed the strange interruption but smoothly continued.

"Not as such, but please let's stay away from bugs. I don't have a fondness for the small and many legged." He said in response to the quizzical looks. Setsuko smiled in an effort to make in feel more at ease.

"Come on through please Yusei. We've never had much of a chance to speak." Hideo waved a hand towards his sitting room. He walked in and sat in the armchair. Yusei took the spot on the sofa next to him. Akiza followed Setsuko into the kitchen to make some food. "Comfy Yusei?"

"Yes. Thank you sir." Hideo laughed.

"Please Yusei, I get called sir enough at work. My friends call me Hideo." Yusei tried to smile but could only manage a slight twitch. "Now, can you tell me exactly what my little rose has been doing at your place these last few nights? She's barely here at the same time as me anymore so we haven't had much time to speak." Yusei shifted nervously.

"Amongst other things, we've been fixing up her Duel Runner. It's been lacking some attention for a few weeks and we've been touching it up." He winced at his choice of words. _Now or never_. "Sir, with all respect I need to ask your opinion on something." Hideo Izinski sensed the tone in Yusei's voice and leaned forward.

"Go on Yusei." Yusei clenched one hand tightly in his other fist.

"Sir, I swear to you that I meant no disrespect but over the past couple of weeks Akiza and I have become," He searched for the words he needed, "attached. I meant no disrespect but things just sort of happened." He noticed the colour rising along the older mans neck. "Nothing inappropriate has happened sir, I assure you. But I was recently in a very bad place and your daughter pulled me out. It's entirely possible that she saved my life. These past few days we've been staying up late, just talking I swear." The colour had reached the bottom of Hideos face. "And as she was tired I didn't want her driving all the way home when she could have fallen asleep halfway. I gave her my bed so that she wasn't uncomfortable and lent her a pair of my pajamas. I washed all her clothes overnight and made sure that she was perfectly cared for in every way. I realise that I should have asked for your permission first but it didn't occur to me at the time. I'm asking for it now and if you choose not to give it then I completely understand." The senator slowly unclenched his jaw. He leaned forwards.

"Yusei, I just want you to understand that I know how hard this must have been for you. I also want you to know that the only thing keeping me from taking the law into my own hands is the relationship she seems to have developed with you and the patience that took me a few serious mistakes when I was younger to put to use." He stood up and seemed to tower over Yusei. "I'm going to kindly ask you to leave. When you leave I want it to be made clear that if you ever come near my daughter again I will call everyone I know and make sure that your life is made into a living hell." Yusei stood up.

"Sir, if this is really what you think is best for Akiza then I will do exactly as you ask. If it helps, I will leave the city and never come back." He held up his hand. Hideo stared at it for a minute before grasping it and shaking it once.

"I don't think you need to leave the city. Just keep away from my daughter. Just you, not the rest of her friends. I'm not going to do that to her." He dropped Yusei's hand and gestured towards his front door. He walked Yusei to the threshold and grasped his shoulder before the younger man could walk away. "Yusei. I'm not going to apologise for this. I honestly think it's in her best interests if you stay away from her. And if you go near her I will make it impossible for you to come anywhere near this city." Yusei nodded. "And if she comes to you I want you to contact me straight away. I wont take any action but only if you tell me immediately." Yusei nodded once more as he walked over to his Runner. Hideo watched him drive off before he shut the door. He walked back into his house. He slowly walked into the kitchen and saw how happy his daughter looked. He hoped that he was doing the right thing. "Akiza, I have something you need to know."

_**An unhappy ending for all it seems.**_

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Crow had barely left the house when he was waylaid. Sherry LeBlanc pulled up alongside him as he reached the main roads. "Crow." Things had been tense between them since she had Duelled him and Akiza.

"Sherry. What is it that you need?" She pulled a bit closer to him.

"I wished to talk to Yusei. Is he busy?" Crow edged away a little bit. It wasn't a personal thing, he just didn't like people in his personal space.

"Yeah, Akiza's dragging him off to see her parents. If you like, I could pass on a message?" He wondered what it was she wanted to tell Yusei.

"Ah." She was silent for the moment. "It can wait, I suppose. Where are you heading of to then?" Crow was taken aback at her apparent interest. In the views of society he was the background figure to him, Jack and Yusei. They were the two best Duelists around and he was the scrappy kid from the Satellite Slums. Cute, a good Duelist, but forgotten the moment you looked away.

"I was going to Martha's. There's an old man there who I kinda adopted. I haven't paid him a visit in a while and thought it would make a nice surprise." Sherry nodded absently.

"Could I come? I would like to meet this women who seems to raise the best Duelists." Crow shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" He pulled out ahead. "I'll show you the way." Sherry followed his movements until he reached the leafy avenue that lead to the house where she pulled alongside him.

"What is she like, this Martha?" Crow smiled fondly.

"The most incredible person. You'd be hard pressed to find a better person in the whole of the world." He pulled his Runner to a halt in front of the house.

"And what about the old man you "adopted"?" Sherry slowed to a stop next to Crow.

"Wait for it..." Crow warned as they stowed their helmet away.

"**CROW YOU USELESS SON OF MINE! GET YOUR WORTHLESS BEHIND IN HERE SO I CAN GIVE YOU A PIECE OF MY MIND!"** Bashford emerged from the front door. "Oh hello there, who exactly are you?" He smiled charmingly at the French-woman.

"My name is Sherry LeBlanc. I am an acquaintance of Crows." Crow stepped forward.

"I think I should really do the introductions. Bashford, this is Sherry LeBlanc, my friend and one of the best Duelists I've ever known." Sherry looked startled at his choice of words. "Sherry, this is Bashford, a crazy old man who happens to be a good artist." The "crazy old man" clipped Crow around the back of is head.

"Quiet you." He growled. Martha came outside just in time to see the slap.

"Bashford, what have I told you about hitting Crow?" The old man glared from under his brows.

"Not to." He muttered like a child being made to apologise. Martha walked over to the small gathering.

"Sherry LeBlanc, may I introduce the magnificent Martha, the wisest woman in the world and a creature of boundless patience." Crow bowed low as he held out his am. Martha smiled.

"What with you, Jack and Yusei I had to be." She hugged him tightly. "I'm starting to think you miss us all here." Sherry looked on blankly.

"I am sorry, miss who? It is not you and your husband?" Martha laughed.

"Bashford isn't my husband." She gestured towards the house. "But my kids are all in there." The children who had lived with Crow poked their heads around the door frame at the same time.

"Crow!" They flocked around him. "We've missed you!" He patted as many of them as he could.

"Guys, guys. Once again I have preformed a miracle of undefinable proportions." Crow announced magnificently. "May I introduce Sherry LeBlanc, archrival to just about the entire Duelling world and probably the singular most impressive Duelist I know beyond Jack, Yusei and Akiza." The children clustered around him looked up in awe.

"You're pretty." Blurted out one little girl in a pink dress. Sherry smiled awkwardly and crouched down.

"Thank you. What's your name?" The girl shuffled shyly.

"I'm not sure yet." Sherry looked up at Crow. He nodded sadly.

"They were too young to remember anything from before Zero Reverse. We let them choose their own names." Sherry looked back at the diminutive girl.

"How about "Rose"? I think it suits you." The girl threw her arms around Sherry's neck.

"I like it. Thank you." Sherry patted the back of the short figure clinging to her. She stood up and lifted the girl with her, supporting her with a spare arm. "Rose" kissed her on her cheek.

"Thank you dear." Martha shook Sherry's spare hand. "It's a beautiful name." A light blushing spread across Sherry's face.

"It is nothing. It is the French word for pink. I thought of it because of her dress. Which I must say," She smiled at the figure in her arms. "Looks very nice." Rose blushed and looked down.

"Could I interest you in a cup of coffee?" Martha asked the new center of the child's universe. Sherry shook her head.

"I'll just have some water. Thank you." Martha nodded.

"Come on kids." She shepherded the kids inside. Sherry made to follow but Crow stood in her way.

"What is it?" She folded her arms, not to be intimidated.

"Why exactly did you do that?" He asked, his face and tone serious.

"Do what?" She was confused. " What did I do wrong?" Crow stared at her like she was mad.

"Nothing. You simply reached out and helped a small girl who's been afraid most of her life. I know that everything you've done in your life has been to hunt down Yliaster. I want to know your reasoning." Sherry unfolded her arms as she stepped forward.

"The reason I dedicated my entire life to defeating Ylisater was to protect others from the pain I was made to face. It is the same reason why I joined Zone and the same reason I left him and joined Yusei once more." She jutted a finger into his chest. "My entire life has been dedicated to trying to help _millions_. So, now that Yliaster has fallen, I'm going to try and continue to help people. It may be fewer people than before but I will do my best to make sure that I can do everything I can. If you have some sort of problem then do not feel that you have to keep it to yourself." Crow pushed the finger on his chest away.

"Thanks, that's all I needed to know." His tone was carefree as he walked through the doorway. Sherry shook her head in bewilderment as she followed him in.

_**I retract my earlier statement. Not an unhappy ending for everyone. Just most people.**_

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Blister looked up as a knock sounded upon his door. "Come in." The door remained shut. He raised his voice slightly. "I said, come in."

"I wish to speak to Blister." He folded his arms.

"You are. Are you going to come in or not?"

"Only if your eyes remain covered." Blister sighed. In his line of work he occasionally met people who didn't want their face known. When such a person arose he usually traced the call and opened up a nearby camera. _Seems like people are getting smarter._

"Fine. But you'd better pay well." He took his jumper off the back of his chair and draped it over his head. "Ready." He heard the door open and close.

"You don't need to go to those lengths Mr Blister, but I thank you for your thoroughness." Blister heard the faintest sound of something hitting the table in front of him. "I need to know as much as you do about Yusei Fudo." Blister swallowed.

"What makes you think I know anything about some kid from the Satellite?" He heard the mysterious person circle him and couldn't help but feel like this wasn't a job interview and more of an interrogation.

"Because I know that you helped him out at the request of Bolt Tanner. I know that you helped him break into the Sector Security Headquarters to regain his Duel Runner, Deck and Disk. And I know that you now help out at his foster-mother's, Martha." Blister ran through the options in his head. He could see four. He could take off his jacket and attack this person or he could use a camera after they'd left and then see if he got a facial match. He could feed some false information or he could sell out his friends and hope this person left him alone. No, he didn't have four options, he had three. He wasn't going to sell out his friends a second time.

"I'm not going to tell you anything." The footsteps stopped directly behind him.

"You've told me everything I needed to know. That the bond he shares with his friends is a strong one. I request access to your hideaway that Yusei stayed at during the Fortune Cup and that you don't tell anyone where I am for this next week. Until then I wish to remain alone. You will not contact me or tell Yusei, or his friends, my whereabouts. This is for his protection. Eight days from now you and you can shout from the rooftops if it helps, but not until then. Do we have a deal?" Blister nervously cleared his throat.

"Who are you?"

"Your payment is on the table." He heard the door click shut. Blister whipped the jacket off his head and charged into the corridor outside. There was no sign that anyone had been there. He slowly turned as he heard the squeal of a window closing in his apartment. Whomever it was who had been there was clearly very intelligent. Blister closed his door and sat heavily in his chair. The first thing he noticed was the pristine white envelope on the table, right in front of him. Turning it over he could make out no distinguishing marks of any kind on it's surface and judged that there was only one sheet of paper inside from the flatness. He cut the top open with a pocket knife and found a small piece of square card. In neat handwriting was written "_Cafe La Geen, midday, eight days from now_". Blister groaned bitterly. Not his largest payment ever.

_**I'm sure you know who it is. It's Marty from Back To The Future!**_

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Sherry had spent a blissful few hours at Martha's, playing with the children and talking to the kind women. The children had adored her and listened with rapt attention as she told them of some of her "adventures" that she had done to take down Ylisater, edited to make them slightly more appropriate of course. At some point Crow and vanished into the kitchen with Martha. Eventually, with the sun setting, she made some excuses and made to leave. "Oh but please stay Miss Sherry!" Rose clung to her leg. "You can have my bed, I don't mind sleeping on the sofa." Sherry chuckled and unwound the tiny arms.

"I think that you would regret it in the morning." Rose pouted. "I'm sorry, but I must go now." Martha stepped out the kitchen.

"Are you sure? Crow and I have just finished making dinner. Although, what with the amount that Crow helped it's probably a good thing that you're choosing to leave."

"I heard that!" Crow's muffled voice floated in, followed by his head. "Which of you little squirts want feeding tonight, or can I have it all for myself?" The ginger ducked back into the kitchen as a small stampede of children chased after him. Martha carefully stepped aside as they swarmed past.

"Are you sure that I can't persuade you to stay?" Crow poked his head around the corner again.

"Aww, cmon! I cooked, surely that's a reason to stay?" Sherry wobbled. Crow smiled disarmingly. "I'm sure Rose would like it." Something occurred to Sherry.

"And what about you Crow? Would you like me to stay?" Crow blushed.

"I need someone unbiased from fear of Martha. You up for the job?" He ducked back into the kitchen as Martha turned with a face of fury. His laugh drifted back into the room. Sherry nodded to herself.

"If I must, I will stay." Martha pulled the taller woman towards the dining room and sat her down next to Rose, who hugged her new best friend.

"What exactly is for dinner, if you don't mind my asking, of course?" Sherry queried. Crow put a dish in front of her.

"The Martha Special. Whatever comes to hand, with a good helping of yum. Or, as you French say, '_yum_'." Crow put on an outrageously extravagate accent. Sherry knocked his arm slightly.

"I believe the phrase you are looking for is, "déicieux". It means "delicious", which I don't doubt it is if you've had a hand in the cooking." Crow looked startled.

"Thanks" He continued to hand out plates. Sherry cursed inwardly. She wasn't usually so generous with praise. It had just slipped out. Martha went around the table with a large pot in one arm and a ladle in the other, putting soup in all the bowls. Sherry leaned to her left when Martha went to serve her and managed to clip Crows elbow, which had been raising a spoonful off food to his mouth. He instinctively dropped the spoon and its contents of hot soup all over himself in a very _delicate_ area. He fell back with a cry of shock and Sherry poured her water over him in an effort to remedy the situation. The result was a bedraggled mess of damp orange hair with a headband covering half his face as he looked up in a daze from his position of the floor.

"_Mon dieu_! _De faire me_!" Sherry babbled in French as she struggled to mope up as much as she could with the napkin that had been given to her for more minor spills. She hoisted Crow to his feet and wrapped his arm about her shoulders in an effort to carry him to the kitchen. "Martha, is there a medicine box?" The tall woman nodded, not disturbed in the slightest.

"Cupboard next to the fridge, top shelf, at the back."

"Thank you." Sherry pulled Crow into the next room and leant him against the side and rummaged around for the first aid box. She pulled it out and laid bare the contents. "Here," She passed him a tablet, "Swallow this, it should help with the pain." Crow slowly swallowed the pill with a shudder.

"Never did like those things." Sherry smiled slightly.

"My apologies. I think it would be best for me to leave." She turned but Crow caught her wrist.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" She pulled her arm free and glared at him.

"Never do that to me again." Crow laughed behind her.

"I know why, it's because you're scared." Sherry turned to face him with anger plain on her face. He continued without pause. "How old are you Sherry? 19? 20?" Sherry answered without thought.

"19 since two months ago." Crow finally paused.

"So when you were on the Ark Cradle? You want to know something?" Sherry folded her arms with a huff.

"I'm sure that you are going to tell me even if I didn't." She was right.

"My birthday was about a month before yours. Not that it actually is. It's merely the day I got my name, Crow Hogan." He thumped his chest proudly. "What with the entire thing with Ylisater and the Momentum Express Group and the WRGP I didn't bring it up. For the first 17 years of my life I was scared of something. The first 10 it was for myself. The 7 that followed were for the orphans I took in."

"Fascinating," She cut across the tiresome monologue. "But what does it have to do with me?"

"I doubt you were scared for most of your life. Afraid for your parents, Elsworth but not, I think, yourself. You were too focused on revenge, I think. And you were good at what you did, but now you've slowed down and you're being made to face the more simple things in life. Like the children." He jerked a thumb towards the door, where laughter could be heard. "You really got along with those kids and I'm willing to bet everything I have that you've never done something like that before." Sherry tapped her arms impatiently. "And it scares you. You don't know how to cope with it." She turned to leave again and headed for the door. "You can leave, you can run away but I think that you plan on coming back. And when you do I think you'll know where to find me."

"You think too much, _petite idiot_." Sherry muttered darkly as the door closed behind her, shutting her off from his chuckles.

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Later that night, Crow bid farewell to Martha, Bashford and the kids. "Where did Sherry go?" Rose had missed her heroine at dinner. "Will she come back soon?" Crow frowned.

"I'm not sure. Soon I hope." Martha smiled knowingly. "Not like that!" He scowled. Why did everyone feel like he needed to be in a relationship? Rose threw her arms around his knees.

"Awww, Crow loves Sherry! I think you two look so sweet together!" Crow sputtered as he pulled the small girl from his legs.

"I do **not** love her! She is my friend and that's the end of it!" Bashford laughed heartily.

"Seems my son has good taste! Ow!" Martha smacked him round the back of his head. "Why is it you only ever hit us guys?!" Martha tugged his ear.

"Because you guys don't seem to keep anything in your heads! Only my dear Yusei." Crow mounted his Runner.

"Alright, I'll see you squirts soon. You behave for Martha or I wont bring you lot cards evvvvver again!" Rose sidled up beside him.

"But you never give us cards anymore!" Crow leaned down and narrowed his eyes menacingly.

"And you don't wash behind your ears." He swept a finger down the side of her head. "See?" He held up a perfectly clean finger. "And you didn't even notice these." He held out a stack of cards in his other hand. Rose squealed in joy and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're the best, Crow!" She raced off inside to share them with the other children. Martha smiled happily.

"You still know how to make them happy." He nodded.

"That's my job in life."

"No," She laid a hand on his arm. "It's not anymore. Your job is to have a great life and make me proud." Crow put his hand on hers.

"I will." Martha removed her hand.

"And make sure you ask Sherry on a date soon." He scowled. "And keep an eye on Yusei for me."

"Why?" She smiled and shook her head.

"We'll see you soon, I hope." Crow took the hint and rode off into the twilight.

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"Do you have to go?" Carly murmured against Jack's neck. "You spent all morning with your damned coffee, I've hardly seen you at all today." Jack shifted slightly.

"Talking of coffee..." Carly laughed and nuzzled his neck slightly.

"What if I gave you a better option?" Jack laughed silently.

"Better than my coffee? That's going to be quite hard." Carly kissed him. "And you win." He pushed himself upright off her bed. "That's the last time I listen to you when you say that you want a little nap. I did very little sleeping." Carly draped her arms across his shoulders.

"Would you have preferred sleep?" He tugged her arms off.

"Not really but I do have to go now. I don't have anything to wear if I stay." Carly frowned in mock sadness.

"Does that really matter?" Jack stared at the woman on the bed.

"Carly how long ago was it that you asked me out to dinner?" Carly frowned as she thought back.

"About two weeks. Maybe nine days." Jack nodded.

"About that. Don't you think we're moving a little fast?" Carly threw herself back on the bed and looked up at him with a coy smile.

"Do you really mind?" Jack sat on the side of the bed and kissed one of her hands.

"Not really, but we should really stop, at least for a while." Carly stroked his face slowly.

"I suppose you're right." She pulled her hand back and pushed Jack off the bed. "Now get out of here before I change your mind." Jack smirked.

"Your right, I should go. I might want to have my mind changed." Carly threw a cushion at his head as he ducked out the door.

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Jack and Crow pulled into the square at the same day. "How's the girlfriend Jack?" Crow called mockingly.

"I had a nice day thank you. And how was yours, talking with the kids again, Mr Pan?" The tone in Jack's voice was all the more irritating for the calm.

"It was nice, Sherry tagged along and"

"Frenchy tagged along?! What's the deal there? She betrayed us to Yliaster, you dolt!" Jack cut across Crow with a furious tone.

"Hey, she's done more with her life than you've done with yours!" A sly grin spread across Jack's face.

"Sounds like someone has a major crush." Crow kicked the side of Jack's Runner as he pulled ahead for the ramp.

"Why does everyone say that?" He followed Jack in. The instant he had slid off he stood next to Jack. "What in the world happened here?!" The entire lower floor was an absolute mess. Tools were strewn everywhere and one of the lights had a cracked casing that gave off an irritating buzz. One of the computers had fallen off the desk and was dangling by its cables. Yusei's Runner lay on it's side with Yusei's deck scattered around it. Jack walked over and knelt by the mess. His hand touched the ground, shifting through the dozens of cards there.

"Look at this." He held up a few cards. Crow stepped carefully over to him, avoiding the bits and pieces of metal across the floor. He took the cards from Jack and fanned them out in his hand.

"What the?" He was holding Turbo Warrior, Nitro Warrior, all Yusei's Synchro monsters and, most incredibly, Stardust Dragon. "What happened here? Yusei loves these cards. They mean everything to him." He and Jack stood up. "We need to know who did this."

"It's not hard to figure out." Jack glanced meaningfully at the trashed Runner by their feet. Crow followed his gaze.

"What, you honestly expect me to believe that Yusei did this?" If their home hadn't been in such a state he would have laughed.

"Well who else could it be? It's not a burglar, all the cards are here. Not a vandal, there isn't a note. I'm not in with any bad figures, you?" Crow shook his head. "Then give me one likely scenario that doesn't put Yusei at the center of all this." The shorter man shrugged helplessly. Jack made for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Crow hurried after him. Jack snorted derisively.

"To find out what happened." He stopped outside Yusei's door and gently pushed it open. It was similarly wrecked to the rest of the house. And huddled in the corner was Yusei. Jack crossed over and knelt in front of him. Crow stood in the doorway. Jack reached out and rested his hand on Yusei's shoulder. "What happened?" His tone was curiously gentle. Yusei slowly raised his head. Jack dropped back. The eyes staring at him were those of a man without hope.

"It's." Yusei cleared his throat a few times. "It's Akiza, Jack." His voice cracked. "I lost Akiza. I'm not allowed to see her ever again." Jack stood up and Crow next to him. "For the rest of my life. I've lost her Jack. I've lost her." And then he broke down and cried. And his two friends could do nothing but stand in shock as the strongest person they knew broke apart.

_**Okay, just to clarify a few points; 1. The bit where "Rose" gets her name, the whole scenario where the children choose their own names is because I couldn't find any mention of the orphans actual names and it's a basis for something else. 2. I don't know French, everything Sherry says is what I've taken, word for word, from a English-French dictionary. Please excuse any mistakes 3. According to my word count, I've written 10027 words without the bits I've added in, just about keeping my promise from last time. You should really pay me more. 4. I did a quick search for Sherry's age but couldn't find anything. I just assumed that she was roughly the same age as the others. 5. Sume. Yes, she is an OC, yes, she is my creation, yes, she will be in future chapters and no, that's not her actual name. 6. As always, I live but to serve so PM me if you want anything. 7(nearly finished). Spelling mistakes and continuity errors, and so on so forth. PM me or mention them in a review and I'll send you a thank you and some of the next chapter(if I've done enough work on it).**_


	19. A Broken Man

Crow slowly walked past Yusei's room and made every effort to avoid making a single sound. Jack looked up as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Any change?" Crow shook his head.

"Same as always. Nothing. How long since he ate anything?" Jack's face sombered.

"I don't think he's eaten anything since the morning of." Crow leant against the side.

"It's been _four days_ Jack. He hasn't left his room that I know of and each time I look in on him he either asleep or faking it." He swept an arm about himself. The room was still in a shambles. The only difference that had been made was a path from the doors to the stairs and another area cleared around the garage door. The resulting pile had been shoved into a corner. "This place is still a wreck and you saw how he treated the twins!" Jack nodded angrily. The twins had made the mistake of coming around the day after in the hopes of helping. Leo had all but broken down the door before he had leapt on top of Yusei, still in his bed, and Luna had tried to rouse him with gentle words. Yusei's reaction had been to shout at Leo and push him out the room and to slam the door in Luna's face. Akiza hadn't come around for any reason and the two men were stumped for an answer. Martha had refused to help them and they weren't going to go to a shrink. Jack had talked to Carly but she wasn't sure if there was anything to be done. Crow had talked to Sherry but she wasn't an expert on heartbreak, just heartbreaking she said. Jack slammed his hand down.

"That's it, I don't care what he says, he is leaving that room!" He thundered off up the stairs. Crow carefully followed, at a distance. Jack reached the door to Yusei's room and booted the door open. "YUSEI YOU TWERP! GET YOUR SORRY SELF OUT OF THAT BED AND DOWNSTAIRS **NOW!**" He reached over and dragged the still form off the bed. Yusei abruptly came to life and started swinging punches. Jack avoided most of them and took a few solidly to his torso and head. Crow grabbed Yusei's arms and tried to restrain him from lashing out as much. Together, they carried him down the stairs, only slightly hindered by his struggles. Jack slammed Yusei against his crimson Runner and shook him by his jacket. "YOU LISTEN HERE YUSEI! I DON'T REALLY CARE JUST HOW CRUSHED YOU THINK YOU ARE! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RUIN YOUR LIFE OR ANYONE ELSE'S! **I WILL NOT LET YOU!**" He hit Yusei in the stomach a few times to get his point across. "HERE'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN! I'M GOING TO DUEL YOU, WITH YOU IN THIS SORRY, WRETCHED STATE, AND THE INSTANT I WIN YOU ARE GOING TO QUIT THIS NONSENSE! IF YOU WIN YOU CAN ROT AWAY IN YOUR ROOM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE BUT NOT UNTIL THEN!" He threw Yusei on the floor, mindful of the scattered mess. "Now get yourself cleaned up and something in your stomach. You have ten minutes." He growled. Yusei meekly walked upstair and moments later they heard the sound of running water. "As for you," He turned to face Crow, still with fire in his eyes, "You are going to put his Deck back together." Crow threw off a mock salute and received a clip around the head in reply.

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Exactly eleven minutes later Yusei was forced out the garage door on his Runner. He drove slowly as the sunlight burnt his eyes from his self-enforced imprisonment. As it was, Jack slowed for the first corner and turn practically handing it to Yusei.

"Draw."

(**Turn 1**)

Yusei Fudo: LP:4000 SC:1 Hand:6 Field:None Graveyard:None

Jack Atlas: LP:4000 SC:1 Hand: Field:None Graveyard:None

"I place two cards face down and Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog(2/800/800) in Defense. Turn end." His voice was robotic, sounding like it was simply going through the motions with nothing actually controlling it. Jack picked up his top card.

"I Draw."

(**Turn 2**)

Yusei Fudo: LP:4000 SC:2 Hand:3 Field:2S/T. 1 Monster Graveyard:None

Jack Atlas: LP:4000 SC:2 Hand:6 Field:None Graveyard:None

"Since you have a monster on the Field and I don't, I Special Summon Vice Dragon(5/2000/2000) but it has to halve it's ATK and DEF. I also summon Dark Resonator(3/1300/300) and Tune them together to Synchro Summon the mighty, the powerful Red Dragons Archfiend(8/3000/2000)!" The tri-horned beast clawed out, in fire and rage, ready to tear down the world. "I attack!" His mighty beast destroyed the snuffling creature that was Yusei's only monster. "I throw down one card and call it a turn." The husk that was Yusei took charge.

"I Draw."

(**Turn 3**)

Yusei Fudo: LP:4000 SC:3 Hand:4 Field:2 S/T Graveyard:1 Monster.

Jack Atlas: LP:4000 SC:3 Hand:3 Field:1 S/T. 1 Monster Graveyard:2 Monster

"I play Angel Baton, and Summon Junk Synchron(3/1300/500). Since he's a Tuner I can Special Summon my Quillbolt Hedgehog(2/800/800) back from the Graveyard. And I can also Special Summon Speed Warrior(2/900/400) with the effect of my new Synchron." The limber warrior skated in circles on his field. "And I Tune them all together to form Junk Archer(7/2300/2000). I use it's ability to remove your Dragon from play and Attack you directly." A golden arrow pierced the center of Jack's chest as he Life Points dropped to just under halfway.

"Very good Yusei, but at the end of this turn I get my Red Dragons Archfiend back and on my next turn I will crush that pile of metal."

"Activate Trap." Crow had fallen behind too far to see what the Trap was but he saw the massive sphere of light it gave off. When the ball of radiance had faded Jack was coming to a halt and Yusei kept going slightly further, clearly the victor. Crow pulled to a halt alongside Jack.

"What just happened?"

"Ring of Destruction." Jack snarled. "Not the type of card Yusei ever uses. It destroys one monster and both players take damage equal to the ATK of that card. He needlessly sacrificed his own monster to take me down."

(**Game End**)

Yusei Fudo: LP:1700 SC:3 Hand:5 Field:None Graveyard:1 Trap. 4 Monsters.

Jack Atlas: LP:0 SC:3 Hand:3 Field:1 S/T Graveyard:2 Monsters.

"I'm going home now. Don't follow me." The empty man turned to be off but his way was suddenly blocked by a strange figure wearing rollerskates and a backpack, who seemingly appeared from nowhere.

"Yusei, you can't do this to yourself. I know it hurts but trust me, it will be over soon." The phrase "_If looks could kill_" floated through Crows head and then straight into Jacks.

"Leave me alone Sume." Crow thought that Yusei's tone was better when he was emotionally dead. His current one sent chills straight to the marrow.

"No, not until you've listened to me. I've got a new deal for you. You win, I leave you to spend your days in misery and pain. I win, you do exactly as I say, starting with getting you sorry self out of the pit you've dug yourself into." Yusei revved his engine.

"Not interested." He drove past her by an inch. She turned to the other two.

"I think you both need to see this." She skated around past Crow and powered off. The two exchanged a glance before they followed.

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Sume caught up to Yusei half a mile from the next exit on the Duel Lane. "I'm not going to let you do this Yusei!"

"It's not your choice!" He sounded bitter. "There isn't anything you can do."

"Oh, I beg to differ." Sume pulled out a card and slipped it into her Disk. "Activate override, playing the Field Spell, Speed World 2." Yusei made for the turning but his wheels locked into position.

"What have you done?" He hissed.

"I overrode your Runner's computer. Until a Duel is resolved you can't stop it." Yusei threw his weight against his controls. They fought back with equal fury.

"I Draw."

(**Turn 1**)

Sume: LP: 4000 SC:1 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None

Yusei Fudo: LP: 4000 SC:1 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: None

"I Summon Witch Of The Black Rose(4/1700/1200) and with it's effect I Draw once again." She picked up the top card of her Deck, showed it to Yusei, and placed it in a slot on her arm. "Since my card is a Monster I don't have to throw it away." Back in the rear, Crow leaned nearer to Jack.

"Did you see that card?" Jack touched his display screen.

"Hold on." He wound the feed back a few seconds. "I don't believe it, that's Rose Fairy!" Crow shrugged.

"So?" Jack sent feedback over their connection, making Crow cry out in shock.

"That's one of Akiza's cards you dolt. One could be a coincidence, but two? And the exact same playing style? Something doesn't add up here." Back in the game Sume was continuing her move.

"Since Rose Fairy was added to my hand by a effect, I can Special Summon it." The Level 3 Monster buzzed small circles in Defense Mode. "Last chance Yusei, stop this moping and get your head back in the real world." Silence was her only reply. "Then you leave me no choice. I place one card face down and end my turn." Yusei wordlessly drew his next card.

(**Turn 2**)

Sume: LP: 4000 SC:2 Hand:4 Field:1 S/T 2 Monsters. Graveyard: None

Yusei Fudo: LP: 4000 SC:2 Hand:6 Field: None Graveyard: None

"Junk Synchron(3/1300/500)." The name was said without inflection. "Junk Servant(4/1500/1000)." Jack provided some information for Crow.

"Junk Servant can be Special Summoned if there's another "Junk" monster on the field."

"I know that Jack." Ahead the familiar rings of a Synchro Summon appeared. As they vanished an armored warrior stood ready with an arrow notched to his bow.

"Junk Archer(7/2300/2000)." The arrow shot from the bow, straight at Rose Fairy. With a wail, it vanished from the Field. The archer then struck out at the witch left behind.

"I activate my Half Counter Trap Card!" Witch Of The Black Rose seemed to swell. "My Monster gains ATK equal to half the original ATK of your Junk Archer." The witch ducked under the suddenly clumsy bowman's punch and jammed her staff into his chest, blowing him to pieces. Rose Fairy appeared back on the field, signifying the End Phase of Yusei's turn. "My Turn, Draw!"

(**Turn 3**)

Sume: LP: 4000 SC:3 Hand:5 Field: 2 Monsters. Graveyard: 1 Trap.

Yusei Fudo: LP: 3450 SC:3 Hand:4 Field: None Graveyard: 3 Monsters.

"Yusei, this is it. Your moment of truth. Are you going to stop torturing yourself?" She would have seen more emotion from a brick wall. "Then you leave me no choice." She moved faster, taking a more substantial lead. "Watch Yusei. Watch as I Tune together my Rose Fairy and my Witch Of The Black Rose. Watch as they merge together to form a creature of immense beauty!" Crow felt his arm burn. He looked across at Jack who nodded with a fierce expression on his face. A pillar of bright purple light illuminated Sume from ahead. "Watch as I Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon!"

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Akiza felt her arm burn as she was reading. She pulled up her sleeve and watched as her Mark started pulsing. In their penthouse home, Leo and Luna stopped playing their games and watched as their Marks too, started pulsing. Leo ran for the phone and Luna used her own brand of communication. "_Regulus, Ancient Fairy Dragon, what's going on?_" She was transported to a glade, still physically sitting in her lounge but her mind was in the Spirit World. Beside her Regulus sat on his belly.

"_I do not know Luna. It is certainly nothing of any malevolence. All Spirits know those who serve evil._" The beautiful dragon swung her head down from her customary place on the top of a small mound.

"_I agree with Regulus Luna. There is nothing of any true evil going on in this world or yours._" She stared at the small child with one large eye and Luna felt a wave of calm sweep through her. "_Do not fear, my child. Know that all of us are behind you should the need arise._" Luna hugged the snout of the mighty creature tightly as she returned to her body. Leo was busy shouting into the phone from a foot away.

"I know that, mine's glowing as well! And so's Luna's but she went, like, really still and I think she went to the Spirit World!" Luna pushed her brother away from the phone.

"Hello?"

"Luna, great, did you find out anything?" Luna shifted anxiously. Akiza hadn't been around since Yusei had been, well, not Yusei.

"All that Regulus and Ancient Fairy Dragon can tell me is that it's not evil." Akiza hummed down the line.

"Have either of you been able to get through to Jack or Crow?" Luna looked over at her brother who was frantically tapping at his phone. Leo shook his head.

"I either get the tone or a bunch of static. I've tried Crow, I've tried Jack, I tried Yusei. It's no use." Luna turned back to her conversation.

"Leo's tried them all but he hasn't got through to any of them." Akiza tried to ignore the "them".

"Can you go and check it out for me? I'd go myself but I'm swamped right now." Luna noticed the strain in Akiza's voice.

"Sure. Leo's been pretty restless recently. I think it might be good for him to get out." Akiza cut the line. "Leo, grab your Board. Akiza wants us to find out what's going on." She had barely finished before Leo had donned his gear.

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Crow looked up in shock. True, a few people had managed to take control of a Signer Dragons, but only a Signer or Dark Signer could actually Summon one. Just who was this person? Jack appeared to be having a similar train of thought. "I'm thinking we follow this person until they spill the beans." Were his exact words.

"Jack, I can't quite believe I'm saying this, I agree. No-one is going to steal from my friends and get away with it." Far ahead, Sume was continuing her move.

"Black Rose Dragon attacks you directly." The red and black dragon shot a stream of purple fire and rose petals at Yusei. It crashed into him without him so much as twitching. "I end my turn."

(**Turn 4**)

Sume: LP: 4000 SC:4 Hand:5 Field: 1 Monster. Graveyard: 1 Trap.

Yusei Fudo: LP: 1050 SC:4 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: 3 Monsters.

Yusei sat in his seat and stared at the top Card of his Deck. What exactly was the point? What was the _point_? He had given everything he could to save the people of this stupid, ignorant city, his friend had let himself suffer a horrible fate, just to provide him with the slimmest change of saving the people who had treated them all as outcasts for being born in the wrong place, for having abilities beyond the norm. And the one shining thing, the single pure object that he'd ever been given had been taken away from him. And then came this woman, this so familiar woman that he had never seen before, and in one day his life had been changed from the best that it had ever been to the worst it could be. The one thing. And this woman, this woman with knowledge that she couldn't posses. This woman who came with the very symbol of the one person who he wished to forget. "Why?" He clutched at his aching chest. "Why does this always happen. Why can't they just stop it? _Why_?"

"You get 5 minutes of planning time before each move Yusei." Sume rattled off the rules. "It's hardwired into each Runner and Disk. I can't stop it. In five minutes you lose automatically."

5:00...

4:59...

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"Leo, have you had any luck?" Luna and her brother were searching for their friends. Leo had been to Martha's and the view point. Luna had checked at Poppo Time, Carly's, with Trudge, Mina and Cafe La Geen.

"No, there's not been any sign of them. Could they be Duelling?"

"I suppose they must be." Luna turned a corner. "I'm heading for the Lanes now. I'll take the ones on the north side, you take the east ones. Look for Yusei's Cards. If anyone's Duelling it's bound to be him."

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2:46...

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Yusei still hadn't picked up his Card. He just sat there, cradling his chest and sobbing. It hurt so bad. The way the sun reflected off the water sent his mind back to the roadside on the far reaches of the city. The way the wind blew past hurtled him towards memories of lessons he had given. And the way the dragon overhead hovered in the wind forced him to recall past Duels. It all hurt him so much. "Why?" He sobbed bitterly. "_Why_?" He hunched over the screen. He remembered his days in the Satellite, building towards a better future for the people there. His days since, teaming up with his friends, all to win the WRGP. The one time he had done something for himself and it had to be taken away.

2:12...

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Luna had scouted out about twenty different Duel Lanes when Leo crackled back on. "Luna, Luna, can you hear me?"

"Yeah Leo, I can hear you. What is it?" Leo started shouting really fast into the speaker. "Leo! Calm down and tell me again. What exactly is it?"

"Okay, you know how you told me to look out for Yusei's cards?"

"Yeah."

"Well I just saw Black Rose Dragon!"

"But Akiza said that she was too busy to come out. Why would she tell us that and then say to go and look for Yusei? Where are you?" She prayed he was near an area he knew. Leo's grasp on directions wasn't the best ever.

"Eerrrrrr... I can see the Security Headquarters?"

"Can you meet me there?" Leo sharply swung around.

"Sure."

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1:38...

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Yusei felt like something had scooped out everything that he was and laid the husk bare for the world. He stared at his Cards. It was no longer a case of he didn't want to. It was that he didn't see the point. Why should he "Pick up the Card Yusei." Jacks voice would have shocked him if there had been something left to shock. "I don't particularly care what's going on in your mind right now, you're going to pick up that Card because it's the right thing to do. And you always do the right thing."

"Why? I've been doing the right thing all my life. And the one thing that I've ever asked for was taken away from me. Tell me Jack. Tell me why, since I do "the right thing", that I'm not allowed the one thing I want."

"Because that's not how it works Yusei." Crow cut into the conversation. "You don't do the right thing because you get something from it. You do it because you should."

"We're all behind you Yusei." Luna's voice joined the feed as the twins came up behind Jack and Crow. "You've always been there for us, whenever we've needed you."

"Yeah, and don't think that we're here because we owe ya." Leo joined in. "We gonna help you because you're our friend."

"And it doesn't matter if you win this." Jack said.

"What matters is that you try." Crow continued.

"And you'll always have our support Yusei." Luna added.

"Because you're our friend." Leo repeated.

"You have good companions Yusei. Listen to them." Sume finished.

0:30...

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Yusei stared up at the dragon above him. Without turning his gaze, he slowly moved his right hand across his body, reaching for his deck.

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And picked up his card. "I uh," Yusei had to clear his throat several times. "I activate my Speed Spell - Summon Speeder. I can Special Summon any Level 4 or below monster from my hand, but it can't Attack this turn. I choose Shield Wing(2/0/900)." The fluffy avian winged alongside his Runner. "I don't know who you are, I don't know what it is that you want. I don't care. But I wont let you, or anyone else steal from my friends and get away with it. Do you wonder why I Special Summoned my Shield Wing when I could have Summoned it normally? I play my second Speed Spell - Synchro Defuse!" Far above, Black Rose Dragon roared in something like triumph. Jack scratched at his right arm suddenly. "I'm taking back something you should never have had in the first place." Black Rose Dragon flapped slower and took a position on Yusei's side of the field. Crow grabbed one of his arm warmers. "I Summon the Majestic Dragon!" He slammed the Card into a slot on his Disk. Luna shivered and hugged her arms close to her body. "I now Tune together my Shield Wing, my Majestic Dragon and Akiza Izinski's Black Rose Dragon." A single tear slid down his face. Leo rubbed his forearm. "And I Summon The Majestic Rose Dragon!" Far across the City, Akiza watched her Mark fade off her arm as the Seal of The Crimson Dragon etched itself into Yusei's back.

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"Jack, have you ever seen that Monster before?" Monster hardly seemed to be the word to describe the enormous shimmering serpentine creature twisting across the sky above Yusei's head. The creature was far too streamlined and elegant for the term to apply. Whilst it retained the wing and tentacle design of Black Rose Dragon, it had a rear set of wings the worked in tandem with the front set.

"What I want to know is why Yusei isn't up there." He nodded at the massive creature overhead. "Every time a Majestic Dragon is used you sit on high. Why isn't he?" Yusei was still continuing his move.

"Majestic Rose has 3800 Attack Points. Once a Turn it can destroy every Card on the Field and, when it attacks, it can remove one Plant Monster from my Hand, Field or the Graveyard from Play and make the Attack Points of one of your Monsters 0 and put it in Attack Position. For each Card destroyed by it's effect you take 400 points of damage. When it's Removed from the Field I can Summon Black Rose Dragon back in it's place."

"Fascinating as always Yusei." Sume said dryly. "But even if you Attack, I will still have Life Points left. But at the end of this turn it has to leave the field and you don't have a Black Rose Dragon to summon. You wont win."

"Unless I have another trick left. I play the Speed Spell - Speed Energy. For every Speed Counter I have I can increase one Monster's ATK by that number multiplied by 200." Majestic Rose Dragon glowed brighter. "I think it's enough to beat you now. Majestic Rose Dragon, att"

"I forfeit." Sume declared firmly.

"You what?" Yusei exclaimed.

"I forfeit. I can't win and you aren't meant to wield the power of the Majestic Rose Dragon. How you even summoned it is difficult to figure out." Yusei looked up at the powerful being above his head. It was fading away with the end of the Duel.

(**Game End**)

Sume(Forfeit): LP: 4000 SC:4 Hand:5 Field: None. Graveyard: 1 Monster. 1 Trap.

Yusei Fudo: LP: 1050 SC:4 Hand:5 Field: None Graveyard: 5 Monsters.

Sume skidded to a halt. A whiff of smoke rose from Yusei's wheels as he did the same just past her. Yusei looked back at Sume. "I'm taking that Card back, along with the rest of her Deck." Sume shook her head.

"I promise that I'll take it back before she can realise that it's missing. You lot need to hurry. Go to the Tops. It's closer than Poppo Time and the storm will be here soon." She made to leave but turned back. "I'll see you soon." And with that ominous remark, she sped off. The instant she the air was shrill with the beeping of phones. Yusei looked around as Jack, Crow and the twins all started checking their messages. He pulled his out and glanced at the screen. Nothing was waiting for him. He slid it back into his pocket.

"Who was it?" The others became noticeably shifty.

"Just some automated message thing." Crow said.

"Dexter wanted to come 'round." Was Leo's excuse.

"Carly." Was Jack's reply. Yusei looked at Luna with a perfectly calm face.

"Who was it?" Luna fidgeted. "Luna, who was it?" The other three shook their heads at her.

"Akiza." Leo jumped in front of his sister.

"I'm sure she means Akiza Nosaka, our friend from school! Right Luna?" He nudged her with his elbow.

"No, I meant your Akiza. She wanted to know what was happening but was too busy to come out." Leo faced his sister and started waving his arms.

"Why did you say that?! She obviously didn't want them to know and you had to go and blurt it out to the whole world!" A rumble of thunder interrupted his rant. "Er, guys? Didn't she say we should hurry before the storm hits?" Jack folded his arms arrogantly.

"There isn't any storm. The forecast is for sunny skies." Another rumble of thunder shook the air.

"Then explain that." Crow pointed behind them all. A large wave of cloud was rolling towards the city at high speeds.

"I think it's time we all headed for shelter. Leo, Luna, are you two fine with us staying for the night?" Luna nodded and Leo started pounding the air with his fist. Yusei lips turned up slightly at his enthusiasm. "Then I think we should hurry." A third rumble of thunder caused them to look at the clouds. They were noticeably closer.

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"Is this our turning?" Crow had to shout over the pouring rain.

"Not yet! A few more to go!" Luna shouted back. She was riding on the back of Crow's Runner while Leo was squished on the back of Yusei's. The torrent had made it too dangerous for their Boards and they were all soaked to the bone.

"Hey, where did Jack go?" Leo shouted. "He was right behind us!" Luna looked back.

"Do you think he took that turning?"

"I don't know. Hopefully he'll find somewhere to stay out of this. This one, this one!" She pointed to a turning ahead. Crow took the turning sharply, followed closely by Yusei. "It's a few blocks away. We should be there soon." They reached the entrance to the Tops a few minutes later. Crow pulled in next to the elevator and Yusei a few lanes over. They both detached their Disks and strapped them onto their arms. Luna took off her helmet and shook her hair. "Next time, I get a helmet without holes in the top. Ugh, my hair is never going to be dry again." Yusei walked towards the opening to the street. The rain made it look like a river was pouring straight out the sky.

"I don't think the city can cope with too much of this weather." Crow stood beside him and followed his gaze.

"Nah, she's a tough old bird. She'll hold."

"Going up?" Leo called from the elevator. Yusei and Crow walked into, followed by Luna. The doors closed and the metal box whirred up the shaft.

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"I'm taking the sofa." Crow was adamant that he was taking the sofa. For some reason he had a personal vendetta against double beds.

"Crow, we've been over this. I'm taking the sofa, you're taking the bed. End of discussion." Yusei rubbed the bridge of his nose. Whenever he had a "debate" with Jack and Crow he developed crippling headaches. Not that he had _any_ idea where they came from. Luna walked around the corner with a pile of blankets and pillows.

"You could always share the bed. Or the sofa." Crow looked at Yusei.

"I'll take the sofa. Think of it as a favour." Yusei nodded uncomfortably. Whatever the reason Crow had was his business.

"Is it alright if I put my stuff in the wash? I don't think I've changed my clothes in a few days." Crow theatrically waved is hand in front of his face.

"Nah, you just smell that bad normally." Yusei ignored him.

"Can I use your phone? Mine's out of battery and I'm worried about Jack." Luna waved a hand towards the unit on the wall.

"Go ahead." Yusei thanked her and walked over. He typed in Jack's number and waited for the line to connect.

"Yes?" Jack somehow managed to sound damp over the phone.

"Hey Jack, it's Yusei. I just wanted to make sure you found somewhere dry." Jack snorted.

"Sure you did. Just like how you shoved me off down the wrong path. I managed to find my way to Carly's. She said that I can sleep on her sofa until the rain stops. I've got to go, my clothes seem to be making a small lake on the floor." He sharply closed the phone.

"Jack, do you really think I'd let you sleep on the couch?" Jack pulled the arms from around his neck.

"It's where I'm sleeping. I'm not in a good mood. But thanks for the offer." He turned out the light as he left a hurt and confused Carly on her bed.

"What happened to Leo?" Yusei shut down the unit. "I thought he would have been ecstatic that Crow and I are staying the night." Luna smiled slightly.

"Whenever it rains he goes for a shower to warm up. He still hasn't realised that's what makes him tired. By now he's probably splayed out on his bed, fast asleep." Yusei for the stairs and grabbed a blanket from Crow's makeshift bed as he walked past. He slowly opened the door to Leo's room and crept in. As Luna had predicted, he was asleep on his bed with arms and legs akimbo. Yusei gently spread the blanket over the short boy. As he left he bumped into Luna in the hall.

"Hey Luna. Where exactly is the guest room?" Luna yawned loudly and mumbled something as she waved her arm vaguely.

"Sorry, I'm bushed. It's down the hall on your left. On the right is the bathroom." She yawned again. "Night." She shut the door quietly. Yusei walked down the hall and stuck his head into the bathroom. Crow had slipped into his bed and was flicking through the channels on the tv.

"You know Yusei, we should really live like this. Those two have channels I've never even heard of." Yusei continued his search for a washing machine. "And the food! Seriously Yusei, can I switch with Leo? He'd love living with you and I'd love the food here. Wins all around." Yusei nodded vaguely as he walked into the kitchen for a drink of water.

"I'm going up now." He took the remote from Crow's slack grip and turned off the tv. "Night mate." He walked into the bedroom and dropped his jacket and trousers on the end of the bed. He turned the light off before he fumbled his way to the bed.

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Across town the mysterious Duelist threw her backpack into a corner and herself onto the sofa. "By all that I've seen, that was unexpected." She yawned and stretched her arms. "I think the next time we meet will be very interesting."

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Crow rose just a few minutes before the sun, not that he could tell. There was still a large scattering of clouds outside. He stretched out along the sofa and felt his joints click into position. He yawned and spread his arms to the side. His outflung hand hit something hard. "OW!" He rolled over to find an annoyed Leo rubbing his head, watching some cartoons on the tv with the volume low. "What was that for?" Crow yawned again as he stretched his arms over his head.

"You headbutted my hand. I should ask for an apology. Why are you up so early anyways?" Leo waved a hand towards the massive tv.

"What else?" Crow shrugged in agreement. Leo and he seemed to be on the same wavelength most of the time.

"Anything good?"

"Nah," Leo switched the screen off. "Just repeats. How's Yusei holding up? He was really messed up when me and Luna last saw him but yesterday he seemed almost normal." Crow nodded.

"Too right. I wanna know who that chick was. She seemed to know a great deal and she had Akiza's Deck. If she's someone Akiza trusts that much why hasn't Akiza ever mentioned her to us? And, either way, we have a problem on our hands." Leo looked at the older Duelist in confusion.

"Why? So what if she has the same cards?" Crow tapped him on the head. "Quit it! What was that for?"

"Think about it Leo, Black Rose is a unique card and a Signer Dragon to boot. How many people can Summon a Signer Dragon, beside us lot? Just the Dark Signers and they all went kaput. If she can summon it we need to know how she's doing it?" Leo slowly nodded as he pieced it together.

"What about Halldor, Dragon and Brodor? Could it be one of them? I mean, they can use the Aesir, could they also use our Dragons?" Crow rubbed his headband.

"I don't think that it could be any of them."

"But why not?!" Leo jumped to his feet. "Think about it, it's perfect! They have the Rune Eyes, which means that they can use our Dragons, which means is **must** be them!" Crow smiled weakly.

"None of them are women Leo."

"Oh yeah." Leo slumped back down. "Guess I didn't quite think it through." Crow craned his head at a soft footfall from the direction of the stairs.

"Hey Luna. Sleep well?" The teal haired girl shook her head, bangs swinging.

"Not really. Something keeps bothering me about yesterday. Well, several things really." She perched on the edge of the sofa carefully. "Like how that woman managed to summon the Black Rose Dragon." Crow wafted a hand between him and Leo.

"We were just thinking about that. Leo thought it was Halldor and his gang." Luna snickered.

"Since when were any of them woman Leo?" She continued to snigger behind her hands. Her twin folded his arms with a huff. "But not just that. I was wondering about how she got her hands on Akiza's Deck. Akiza never left her room yesterday and she never lets her cards out of her sight." Crow nodded in agreement.

"She's a Duelist, through and through and no Duelist worth the name leaves their cards just lying around." Leo nodded.

"And one of the things that confuses me the most is that Majestic Rose Dragon. I thought that only the person who could summon a Majestic Dragon was the person who owned the original." Crow rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I honestly don't know anything about the Majestic Dragons. Only Jack and Yusei would know anything. But I do think that you're right. Do you think that Brodor might know something?" Luna shrugged.

"I _think_ that we should find out all that we can before we next see that woman. You check with everyone you know, I'll go see if Regulus and Ancient Fairy Dragon know anything." Crow nodded slightly.

"How long until Yusei wakes up? If we hurry, we could ask them all before he wakes up." Leo exclaimed.

"Yes, if we do it behind Yusei's back, I'm sure he'll be pleased at being kept out the loop." A calm voice cut across the discussion from the direction of the stairs. Crow craned his head over the arm of the sofa. Yusei was leaning against the wall in a white dressing gown. "I think that we need to keep everyone in the loop." He walked over to the trio around the couch.

"Nice robe." Crow rolled his head back to its former position as Yusei leant on the wall next to the tv.

"Thanks." The taller man folded his arms. "Back to the point, everyone needs to know what everyone else knows. Luna, have you spoken to Regulus or Ancient Fairy Dragon?" He turned his gaze the Claw Signer.

"I spoke to them the other day. They said that nothing evil was happening. I'd still like to find out who this person is though." Yusei nodded.

"Leo." The older twin jumped to attention.

"Umm, I don't think she's bad or anything but we should try and find out anything we can. She summoned Black Rose Dragon, I think she's got some kinda power like our Marks, or the Rune Eyes."

Yusei nodded again.

"Crow?" The ginger sat a bit straighter.

"In my opinion we should call in the big guns, Trudge, Lazar, and reel her in. No-one steals from my friends. Ever." His eyes blazed with fury. Yusei nodded a third time.

"So we're agreed, tack her down and ask her some questions?" The others nodded their consent just as a knock sounded on the door.

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"Ugh." Jack sat up from his sleeping position made of pain. "I remember why I don't sleep on the sofa anymore." He sat up and rubbed his throbbing ear. He looked around himself. Where was he? This wasn't the garage. He cast his mind back and felt the day before slip back into his mind. His loss to Yusei, Yusei's other Duel, the storm, the wrong turn, Carly's. Carly's. He was still at Carly's. He slowly sat up and waited for the blood to drain from his head. He groaned as it sunk in, what he had said to Carly and how she would have taken it. "Damn him." He rose with a groan and wandered into the kitchen. Carly was standing in a blue frilly dressing gown and staring at the cupboard. She turn as he stood in the doorway.

"Oh, hey." She blushed.

"Hey." He said softly. "Sorry for last night." She shrugged.

"It's alright." She turned away from him again. "I made you some coffee." She pulled a mug towards him. Jack took a sip and gagged slightly. Stone cold. Carly continued to blush. "I'm sorry." She whispered. He hugged her reassuringly.

"It's not your fault. My mouth's really dry. It just tasted strange, that's all." He managed to drain the rest of the mug without having to vomit. Carly still didn't turn around. "What's wrong?" She sniffed loudly. "Carly?" He craned his head around to see her face but she just turned away. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong." He slipped a hand into hers. She tried to jerk it free but he tightened his grip. "Carly?" She told him what was wrong. Several minutes later they finally moved. He slipped one arm around her waist and hugged her to his chest. "Sorry." He mumbled. Carly let out a shaky laugh.

"If I had a recording of that I could sell it for a fortune, "King says sorry"." Jack snorted and leant his cheek on the top of her head.

"And pigs will Duel. Then again, Crow." Carly nudged him in the stomach. "I'll try my hardest not to overreact if I lose next time." Carly smiled a small smile.

"Empty promises. You're not losing again." Jack hugged her tighter. She relaxed in his embrace and let herself be happy for a minute, possibly two.

"I think it's time you left now. It's getting late and I'm due at work soon." Jack released his hold on her and picked his coat from the sofa.

"Thanks for letting me stay the night. Even with me being," He shrugged his shoulders. Carly nodded.

"Anytime." Jack gently closed the door behind him before he walked down the stairs to the main entrance. He almost made it out the door before he hit the wall.

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The garage was silent and empty when Jack's Runner puled into his normal space. Debris still littered some of the floor and the other parking spaces were empty. Jack slid off his seat and nursed his bruised hand. He sullenly kicked away some metal fragments as he walked over to the freezer in hope of ice. His hopes were shattered with a knock at the door. He walked over to open it and was rewarded with view of a delivery man. "Can I help you?"

**Pending...**

**Pending...**

Across town, Akiza walked down the stairs in response to her fathers call.

"What is it daddy?" Hideo Izinski waved a hand at a delivery man in the doorway to the house.

"This man says he needs your signature for a parcel." Akiza frowned.

"But I haven't ordered anything."

**Pending...**

**Pending...**

At the Tops Yusei handed the form back to his delivery man.

"Thank you, here's your parcel." The delivery man said politely as he handed over the nondescript brown parcel. He turned and went back into the lift. Yusei shut the door and walked back over to the others.

"Who's it for Yusei?" Leo peered at the parcel. Yusei frowned.

"He said it's for me." He took the small package and opened it. Inside lay a single silver sphere, completely identical on all fronts.

**Pending...**

**Pending...**

Jack reached into his package and pulled out his sphere.

Akiza tossed her ball from hand to hand. It felt slightly heavy.

"What have you got there darling?" Hideo asked. Yusei looked up.

"Anyone know what this is?" Crow and the others gazed at it.

"No idea." Crow proclaimed.

"I don't know." Akiza told her father.

"What the devil is this thing for?" Jack muttered to himself. Akiza walked back into her room and lay the sphere on her table as she sat in her chair. Jack walked into the living area and set it on the table top before he flopped onto a chair. Yusei lay his ball on the sofa arm.

**System activated.**

"So back to the previous subject." The four of them dragged their eyes away from the sphere. "What do we know? She's a good Duelist and she has at least basic thievery skills." Crow nodded.

"It's not hard to nab someone's Deck if they're not around." Leo leant forward.

"And I bet that she's not evil 'cos Luna asked her spirit friends and they say no." Luna nodded.

"I doubt she's around to cause us physical harm. Only way I can see her hurting us is by some sort of scam." Yusei shook his head.

"She's not here for money. With tech like hers she's either a genius or rich. She somehow managed to condense a Duel Runner to a single rollerskate. It's not difficult to shrink it down to a Duel Board but if you take into account the area of her foot, it's a remarkable feat of engineering." Crow swung his legs out of bed.

"When you put it like that, I suppose you might have a point."

"**My thanks for the compliment Yusei.**" The now familiar voice echoed flatly around the room. Yusei and the others looked around the room. The sphere glowed lightly and hummed cheerfully at them all. "**I suppose that it's amazing by your standards. I've seen a thing or two and I'm not so easily impressed anymore.**" A flickering version of Sume appeared in front of Yusei slowly. He waved a hand through the space she was in. The image swirled and bent around his hand. "**Stop that, it's hard enough to project a good image without you all ruining the frame space.**" She slid a card into her Disk. "**Let's broaden the party.**" A flickering image of Jack slowly resolved itself into the air with him in the act of sitting on an invisible chair. As the picture fully condensed he jumped to his feet.

"**Yusei! What on Earth is going on?!**" His voice had the same hollow ring as Sume's. He turned to Sume and half his face winked of existence. "**And what's SHE doing here?!**" Sume's image walked over to stand besides Yusei. Jack followed her and his face slowly reappeared.

"**Don't turn away from your ball. It does strange things to your body this end.**" She slipped another card into her Disk. "**I'm sorry Yusei, you're going to have to be very brave.**" A image of Akiza slowly resolved itself besides Jack's. She also stood up.

"**Crow, Jack? What's going on?**" She completely ignored Yusei. Sume stepped forward.

"**I happened. Sume, pleasure to meet you.**" She stuck out her hand. Akiza also out reached her hand and the two passed through each other. "**Sorry about that, should have realised. Force of habit.**" She stood closer to Yusei again but he edged away. Akiza sat back down. "**I sent you all these transmitters. They should have arrived at roughly the same time and when you took the out the boxes they started listening in to your conversations.**" She nodded at Crow. "**The real conversation was happening around here. Crow, Yusei, Leo and Luna were collating all the information they had on me. I must say, for the little information you have, you certainly figured out a lot.**" She slowly clapped. Akiza stood up again from her invisible chair.

"**I feel that I may be slightly out the loop here. Are you the same Sume who beat Yusei in a Duel?**" Crow cleared his throat.

"Actually, she gave up. Akiza shook her head.

"**No, last week she beat Yusei. He told me that himself.**" All eyes in the room, real and projected, turned to Yusei.

"It's true." Sume shook her head.

"**It's not. I only won through a technicality. But we seem to be straying. You're all thinking up what you can about who I am.**" Jack folded his arms, unimpressed.

"**A damn good Duelist and a really irritating woman. Done, what's next?**" Crow rolled his eyes.

"I'm fairly sure she means somethings else. Idiot." Jack instinctively took a swing a at Crow's head. His hand pixilated as it slid through Crow's head. Crow laughed. "Man, I like talking to Jack like this. Nothing he can do to try and stop me." He smiled at Sume. "Where do I get one of these?"

"**I made them. But if you beat me in a race, I'll think about it.**" Yusei smiled.

"Bet my Stardust on Sume." Luna blanked for a second. Regulus shimmered into being beside her.

"_Regulus, do you know who this is?_" The others kept talking in the background. Regulus swung his head from side to side.

"_Who are talking about Luna?_" Sume broke off from her conversation with Crow and Yusei and rotated her helmet to face the young girl.

"**I'm afraid your pet cat and overgrown lizard wont be much help little girl.**" Luna gasped. "**I'm transmitting on a wavelength that most spirits can't see on.**" Sume folded her arms. "**And I think we've done enough bantering. I'm here to propose a challenge, a treasure hunt to be more exact. I'm going to give you all 3 days. You have that much time to gather all the help and support you want. Then, on the 4****th**** day, you have 24 hours in which to catch me. You find me, I spill my guts out and answer all your questions. You don't,**" She shrugged, "**You'll have to wait for another opportunity. Now,**" She clapped her hands. "**I need to talk to Yusei in private.**" Jack rose angrily.

"**Now hold on a minute. I want to talk with you when you're done with Yusei.**" Sume nodded. She slid a new card into her Disk and the projections of Akiza and Jack floated away, like dust in a summer breeze. Yusei picked up the silver ball and carried it outside into the hall. Sume flickered as his hand covered various parts. He gently closed the door behind him.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Sume nodded.

"**Put me on the floor, next to the door.**" Yusei did so. Sume flickered for a second as she crouched down and seemed to slide her head through the door. "**Go away you three.**" A scuffling on the other side of the door announced the new privacy that existed. Sume stood back up and sighed. "**Yusei, I know what it is that you're going through. But,**"

"No." Yusei's tone was flat.

"**Yes, I do. You feel that the only pure thing you've ever asked for has been taken away from you without just cause or reason. And you can't stand that. But you gave your word to Akiza's father to keep away from her. And you're too good a person to break your word.**" Yusei blinked.

"Okay, so you do know. But how do you know?" Sume shook her head. It seemed to be her favourite pastime.

"**That's not how it works Yusei. There are somethings that I can tell you and some that I can't.**" Yusei folded his arms.

"Fine, what can you tell me?" Sume assumed a pose identical to his and leant against an invisible wall.

"**You ask, I answer.**"

"Alright, how do you know so much?" Sume waved a hand.

"**Next.**"

"Why are you doing all this?"

"**Next.**" Yusei reined in his temper.

"Why give us time to prepare? Why not give us a few hours?" Sume's posture suddenly seemed smug.

"**I'm not focused solely on you in my activities. I'm trying to right as many wrongs as I can. And I can do a lot. It just so happens that one of my activities concludes shortly before then. I wish you to see it. It should give you a more favorable opinion of me.**" Yusei felt more confused than before.

"What can you do?" Sume laughed.

"**More than you could guess right now. When the time comes for you to know, you wont be able to not believe me.**" She straightened up. "**One more question, make it a good one.**" Yusei paused and steeled himself.

"Yesterday you mentioned that my suffering over Akiza may soon end. When?" Sume radiated indecision.

"**I can't tell you. I'm sorry, I wish I could, I really do, but I can't.**"

"Please." The plea broke free of his lips without his notice. Sume straightened up.

"**Ask me again in a week. You'll know the answer then.**" She flashed and was gone.

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Jack had been waiting for 20 minutes when then voice sounded across from him again. "**Jack. You wanted to speak to me?**" Sume slowly pixilated into the space on the other side of the coffee table. Jack snorted.

"Not particularly but I was raised to give thanks when it was due." Sume cocked her head to one side.

"**I'm lost. Why are you giving me thanks?**" Jack jerked his head in the vague direction of the Tops.

"Yusei. 4 days spent wallowing in misery and I try my best to get him out and fail. You come along and make him into a person again. For that, and that alone, you have my thanks. But tell me something, did you beat him or not?" Sume shrugged.

"**It depends on your point of view. I won through a cowardly way and a technicality. In my books, that counts as cheating.**" Jack rolled his shoulders in irritation. Getting this woman to talk was like drawing blood from a stone.

"How did you win?"

"**I stacked my deck with Speed Spells and used the effects of Speed World 2. I'm not very proud of it but it had the highest success rate of every Deck I could piece together.**" Jack leant forward.

"Just how long did it take you to beat him?" Sume shook her head.

"**I didn't beat him. But, including his turn, just 3 turns. I'm not counting it as a win until I beat Yusei with my own Deck.**" Jack trembled in rage. This woman had beaten Yusei and refused to accept it. The _nerve_. "**I have to go now, lots to do. Maybe we can Duel sometime.**" Jack nodded sourly.

"I look forward to it." Sume flickered and was gone.

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Back in the twin's apartment Yusei slipped his jacket back on. "Going somewhere Yus?" Yusei looked up to see Crow in the doorway. He nodded silently. "Fancy telling me?" Yusei ignored him and slipped past his friend. Crow sighed. "Don't go to Akiza." Yusei stopped short. "I heard the last part of the conversation you had with Sume. Don't go to her." Yusei hung his head.

"I can't do that Crow." His voice was so low that Crow almost didn't hear him. Almost.

"Yes you can Yusei. I know how much it hurts but things always pick up again." Yusei would have smiled had there been a spark of joy inside him somewhere.

"You don't know how I feel Crow." Crow spun his friend around and shoved his face right next to Yusei's.

"The hell I don't! You think I felt all fine and dandy when the Dark Signers took my kids?! You think that I just sat there and took it?! I went out and made a difference! But right now there isn't anything you can do to solve this problem and you're not in a place to make that call so I'm making it for you!" Yusei pulled away.

"This is different." Crow pulled Yusei back again.

"It's not and you know it! You lost something you care about and it's just out of reach. I know how that feels just as much as you do." Yusei tried to pull free but Crow tightened his grip on his arm. "If you had been with me when I first found out that it was the Dark Signers you would have done everything in your power to stop me from going. Well you weren't there that time but I _am_ here right now and I'm saying no." He held out his hand. "Give me your keys." Yusei glared at Crow. "I'm not going to take them away unless I have to but I want you to give them to me." Yusei slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his Runner. He gently placed them in Crow's hand. "Thanks. Go have a Duel with Leo for a bit or something. I'm not quite ready to leave yet."

"Is it the tv or the fridge?" Crow smiled at the joke.

"Both if I'm frank." Yusei managed a tight grimace. Considering the circumstances it was the best he could do. Crow slipped the keys into his back pocket and followed him down the stairs.

_**Sorry for not updating in a while. I've been struggling with how to round off this chapter but realised that it would probably have to stay under my 10,000 word limit. Sorry guys. The good news is that I've extended a request for Betaing to a couple of people and I'm just waiting to hear back from them. If any of my other readers want to lend a hand PM me and I'll start sending you my drafts when I think they're almost ready.**_


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